Call of the Bluebird
by Machlassie
Summary: When Sergei's assigned a simple mission of subduing one woman, he thought he would be able to take it easy. Yet what if this woman proves to be more than he could handle when she begins to bring out a strange emotion he thought was long lost from him?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Cryogenic freezing: A process in which the human cells and tissue are frozen to sub-zero temperatures in order to prevent cell death and preserve the body. For countless decades, scientists have made attempts to perfect this technique so that, one day, they may be able to send someone into the future or save a loved one by delaying a fatal illness. Yet no matter how many experiments they do, the results end up the same. The subject is frozen to death… Or so as everyone thought.

Around twenty years ago, a scientist by the name of Boskonovitch had begun the Cold Sleep Project after his beloved daughter had departed from him. He had wanted to find a way to preserve his daughter's body which would allow him some time to find a way to revive her. He received two young women as his test subjects, sisters to be exact. Although only one was needed, the younger sibling had willingly volunteered herself to join her sister. She didn't state her reasons, so Dr. Boskonovitch could only guess that the young lady feared to be alone in a world without her sister. However, with a sharp tongue, the brunette had also demanded a certain circumstance as well. She had asked to be woken up from her cold-sleep at the same time as her sister. The doctor obliged and then for his daughter's sake, he put the two siblings to sleep…

"And you're saying that they survived?" A broad shouldered man sat at his desk as another man, who appeared puny in comparison, was finished telling him about his findings.

The smaller man nodded and pushed his glasses back up the rim of his nose. "According to my research, yes. Both sisters survived their cold sleep and, as asked, they were woken up at approximately the same time which was around two years ago."

"I see…" The man sat up straighter in his seat as he was taking in all this information. As founder of SPETSNAZ, Aleksander had, for years, been trying to accomplish the process of the cold sleep. Yet now here he was, being told that someone had already beaten him to it. Surely it must be some kind of mistake. "This Dr. Boskonovitch, did he leave any notes on his experiment?"

The scientist shook his head, disappointed. "Unfortunately, no. He was executed before he could record his data. The few notes he had left behind were only on his subjects." The old man pulled out from the file he was holding, a stack of papers. He presented the papers to his superior who was immediately greeted by the face of a beautiful young woman.

Aleksander stared at the picture in awe before reading the name that was written right below it. "Anna Williams…"

"Yes sir. She's the younger sister who volunteered to be put to sleep, if my memory serves right." Aleksander flipped through the pages and found that there were no other profiles besides Anna's. The scientist seemed to know what was on his mind and quickly added, "If you're looking for her sister's, it doesn't exist." The bigger man raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Nina, I believe her name was, lived a life of secrecy long before the day she was put to sleep. No information of her was ever known."

Turning his gaze back towards the picture of Anna, the SPETSNAZ founder began to study the brunette. Perchance this young woman had knowledge of what this Dr. Boskonovitch had done to her which resulted in a successful cryogenic freezing. He would have, however, preferred to have another one of his test subjects to question, but this Anna would have to suffice. All he had to do was find her which, for SPETSNAZ, wasn't going to be a problem. Leaning back in his chair, Aleksander called out unexpectedly, "Sergei."

As if from out of nowhere, a soldier stepped out from the shadows of the room, nearly giving the elderly scientist cardiac. The scientist looked him over and immediately took notice of his raven black hair, ghoulish pale skin, and the most noticeable of all, his empty, cold, steel-colored eyes. One glance at him and the senior felt himself fearing for his life. Aleksander on the other hand seemed unbothered by his sudden appearance and casually began explaining what he wanted from the Special Forces soldier.

"I have an obligation for you, Sergei." Even as his superior spoke to him, Sergei did nothing to reply or even show he was listening. He stood motionless and unmoving, appearing more like a statue than a human. The scientist who dared to take a glance at him was sure he couldn't even see the man breathing! "I want you to retrieve Anna Williams for me." He handed the soldier Anna's profile and slowly Sergei accepted it without giving it a second glance.

Aleksander looked over his soldier and began to recall some of his recent captures. All of his victims had become bloodied, bruised, and some had lost the ability to talk. Though the founder could care less about the condition of his subjects, when they were as important as Anna, he couldn't afford to lose her. "But Sergei," he added, "There will be special circumstances when capturing her." He interlaced his fingers together as he began to explain strictly, "I do not want you to be treating our subject roughly. I want information from her, information she may not give me if given the treatment you normally deliver."

Although being gentle wasn't his forte, Sergei nonetheless nodded. He would use brute force if need be. After all, if the target refused to talk once questioned, he knew of other ways to make them speak. Besides, she was only a woman. They always did prove to be less stubborn when it came to releasing information.

Aleksander interrupted his thoughts as he said, "Now, you may leave whenever you are ready. And," he added sternly, "remember what I told you."

Sergei nodded then mechanically began walking out of the room, the information on Anna rolled up in his hands, and his superior's words still echoing in his mind. Except as soon as he closed the door behind him, the soldier shook away the thoughts. He would do things his way. It was in his nature as soldier, after all, to use brute force when needed.

After Sergei left the room, Aleksander let out a sigh and settled back down in his seat. Seeing how exhausted his superior appeared, the scientist couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong, sir?"

As he massaged his fingers over his forehead, the buffer man whispered, "I believe I've just put the wrong man on the job." He recalled the look on Sergei's face as he left. Sure, it was blank and expressionless as it usually was, but that was the problem. None of his words had reached the man's ears.

The scientist gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean sir?" He recalled the physical appearance of the Special Forces warrior and couldn't see a man like him failing at capturing a single woman. "I'm sure he'll do fine when it comes to capturing her."

Aleksander shook his head in response. "That man only understands destruction…The White Angel of Death is what he's called. Our target will be lucky if she loses only a few limbs when she's brought to us…" As he thought about it longer, Aleksander was beginning to regret his decision of choosing Sergei Dragunov as her abductor.

Entering the research laboratory below the SPETSNAZ headquarters, Sergei was preparing his search for Anna Williams. With his footsteps echoing off the metallic flooring, the soldier approached the main computer where a young man sat drinking a cup of coffee and gazing, tiredly, at the bright screen before him. At the moment he was to be keeping watch of any changes that may be taking place within their recent subject. So indulged with his job, he didn't even notice when Sergei was standing right behind him until a stack of papers was thrown down on the table.

Jumping in surprise at first, the man quickly turned around to see who had entered the laboratory undetected. Upon spotting Sergei glaring down at him with his cold eyes, the young scientist gulped down the coffee that he stored in his cheeks then quickly turned his gaze down towards the pile of papers Sergei had crudely thrown over his research notes. There was no need for Sergei to explain. The young man understood what needed to be done as soon as he caught a glimpse of Anna's picture. "I'll look her up right now, sir."

Vigorously typing on the keyboard and entering a few passcodes here and there, within a few seconds, Sergei watched as the screen that once held nothing but words become filled with the picture of his target, Anna Williams. Judging by how many pictures there were of her, Sergei could already tell she wasn't going to be much of a problem to find. This woman ventured everywhere and clearly didn't bother to keep a low profile. It seemed as though wherever she went, someone was bound to learn her name. He studied all of the pictures before him while the scientist went digging up information of her whereabouts.

After a few minutes of digging, done by the scientist, and gazing, which Sergei was performing, the young man pulled up a screen of his findings. "Aha! Here we go!" The screen he pulled up consisted of a picture of Anna wearing a ring girl outfit standing in what seemed to be a covert gambling area. Turning his chair around so as to face the soldier, the man explained to him, "According to my research, this woman was last seen in the underground battle arena located here in Russia." He turned back around to stare at the picture that was on the screen. "What were the chances?"

Dragunov, who was still gazing at the picture, nearly smirked upon seeing her. She was so petite and appeared so fragile; Aleksander may not have had to worry about Sergei pulling off his rough tactics in this mission. It was if all Sergei had to do was extend his hand and she would accept it. After picking up her profile, the soldier made his way out of the laboratory to go make his preparations before his departure.

As Sergei was making his preparations, two people, possibly a couple, were making their way into one of Russia's finest love hotels. The woman looked up at the beautiful flashing sign posted on the building and let out a cute giggle. She leaned in closer to the man she was with and whispered sensually, "So luxurious? You didn't have to go this far…"

The man, whose body was adorned with scars, wrapped a muscular arm around his woman's shoulders and began guiding her into the hotel. "Only the best for you," he replied. His voice was rough as he spoke, the complete opposite of the woman's. They passed the elegantly decorated lobby as they made their way to the receptionist who was currently organizing some keys for the multiple rooms.

After placing the last key on its hook, the receptionist looked up and was quickly greeted by the lovebirds. Awestruck by the sight of this odd couple, the man didn't know what to say. Here was this beautiful young woman, probably no older than the age of 25, being accompanied to this hotel by what the receptionist could only describe as a monster of a man.

Watching as the man gaped, the brunette let out a little titter and asked sweetly, "Is something wrong, good sir?"

Aroused by her cherubic voice, the man quickly shook his head and returned to reality. "M-my apologies Miss. Welcome to –"

Before the man could say more, the "beast" threw a good pile of money onto the counter, startling the receptionist, and demanded, "I want the best room you could offer. A hot tub, balcony…" The brute began to list his needs while his companion just smiled away. After all his wants were listed, the greeter quickly unhooked a key from the wall behind him and handed it to the man. The man looked the key over and saw that the key was to the room located at the very top of the hotel. He smirked then looked down at the lovely woman beside him. "Let's go, darling…"

After taking the elevator all the way up to the tenth floor, Anna followed the man into the room they were given and gasped as soon as she was greeted by the elegance that the room consisted of. Anna almost forgot about the fighter she was with as she studied the room with childish eyes. She opened the glass doors that led to the balcony and stepped out to enjoy the fresh night air and scenery. As she was doing so, the man was busily fixing up the bed for the special night Anna had promised him back in the battle arena. _"If you win this fight, I'll show you the time of your life…" _Even now her words echoed in his ears bringing a twisted smile to his face.

After fluffing up the pillows for what seemed to be the tenth time, the man finally straightened himself out then headed out to the veranda where Anna stood, gazing dreamily into the distance. From behind her, the fighter slowly began wrapping his arms around her, taking in the scent of her hair as he enveloped her. His sudden actions startled her but quickly she regained herself and listened as he whispered into her ear. "Are we gonna' get started, sweetheart?"

She felt one of his hands slide down her delicate curves and smiled. "Why of course," she replied, "Lead the way…"

He took one of her hands then led her back inside. Quickly he slammed the balcony doors shut and pulled in the curtains. Once he checked that the door was locked, he put all of his attention on the woman who stood before him. She appeared shy and nervous which only seemed to arouse the man only more.

Spotting the lust in his dark eyes, Anna meekly began backing away from the man, bashfully stating, "I think I'm not ready for this…" Ignoring what she had to say, the brute pushed her onto the bed then threw himself on top of her. "H-Hey!" As he held his head in the crook of her neck, Anna, very discreetly, reached into her top and pulled from it a Taser. Without any warning she put it up against his back and within milliseconds, jolt upon jolt of electricity began coursing through his body. Once his body turned limp, Anna pushed him off and began straightening her outfit. Letting out a little giggle, she reached into his pants pocket and emptied it of all the cash it held. After ridding the man of all his money, with hands on her hips, she stared at the man's unconscious body and realized that she couldn't leave him like this…

"There." Anna finished tying one last knot and rose to her full height to examine her work. As he was sleeping, she neatly tied both the man's hands around one of the bedposts. Although she knew that with his strength he would break through her binds in no time, Anna wasn't concerned. Binding him up was just to add insult to injury. And if he wasn't able to free himself, well she only saw that as an added bonus.

Now satisfied, she turned on her heel and began opening the door that led to the hallway, prepared to leave. However, before stepping out, she took one last look at the fighter's unconscious body and blew him a kiss. "Nighty-night, darling…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Author's Note: And here's Chapter 2! In this chapter I decided to challenge myself by adding some fighting scenes. (After all, you can't really write a Tekken story without adding a few brawls here and there.) In addition to putting in action scenes, I'm also working hard on keeping the characters with their personalities. I honestly have no idea how Sergei and Anna would react with each other. Anyways, please enjoy this next chapter!**

Snow was lightly falling from the darkened sky as Sergei was making his way to his target's last location: The Underground Battle Circuit. He had waited for nighttime to approach before heading out seeing as how it would be much easier to find Anna when the battles had started. He stopped in his steps as he pulled from his front pocket the picture of Anna which he had torn from her profile page. He studied the picture in an attempt to memorize her face so that when she was in his sights, recognition would hit him immediately.

Short brown hair cut into the bobbed style, muddy brown eyes, a pair of thin, lightly painted pink lips, and snow-white skin… Sergei made a list of her features in his head then ran his eyes over the photo once more to see if he had missed anything. Nothing was skipped from what his eyes told him. Yet even with her face clearly set in his mind, Sergei, for some odd reason, found that he was still staring at her snapshot. He quickly stopped himself when he realized that he was more specifically staring at her lips. Quickly, he returned the photo back into his front pocket and continued heading back to his destination.

"Snow again, huh…?" Anna whispered to herself as she gazed out at the falling flakes just outside of her window. For the time being, she was spending her days at an extravagant hotel using the money she had "earned" to pay for the expenses. Then at night was when the fun began. She had been playing ring girl at some illegal underground circuit for a while now, bidding on a fighter of which she knew was going to win, and then taking the loser out on a "date" as she had promised.

Taking a glance at the grandfather clock sitting in the corner of her well-furnished room, she saw that it was about time for her performance. Rising from her seat beside the window, Anna reached up into the air as she stretched. While stretching she managed to spot the people walking down on the streets below. Due to the weather, all the civilians were dressed in fur coats, hats, or a sweater which is why it amused Anna when she saw one man walking among the crowds wearing only a military outfit.

Although she couldn't see his face very well from her room, she did manage to see his jet black hair and noticeably grey skin. Judging by the way the other civilians around him refused to meet eye contact, she could discern that he was both well-known and feared, or he had an intimidating gaze. Anna watched as he disappeared from her line of view then closed the curtains as she prepared to get dressed.

It took longer than expected for Sergei to locate the underground battle arena. He had thought it would be placed somewhere far from the main part of town, preferably on the outskirts. Yet here this one stood, located in a town alleyway, right under the nose of the government. Sergei watched from behind a corner as hoards and hoards of druggies, fighters, and what appeared to be businessmen, entered the doorway that Dragunov was sure led to the fighting grounds.

Just as he was prepared to enter the door himself, he stopped in his tracks. He looked over his clothes and realized that if any one of those men noticed a Special Forces soldier was in there, chaos would break out which would only result in him losing his target. He rounded the corner that he had been hiding behind and smoothly slipped off his sleeves, revealing his black T-shirt underneath. At least with this look, he would appear more inconspicuous. Then, with sleeves dangling down beside his legs, Sergei made his way to the door and pulled it open.

As soon as the door was opened, the smell of cigar smoke hit him like a punch. Without a doubt, Sergei knew that he had reached the spot. He took one step into the small room that acted only as a doorway and looked down the stairwell. From where he stood, he could hear the muffled shouts of men and the sound of loud, reckless music.

Taking his usual, uniformed strides, he descended down the stairs while the raucous got louder and louder. As he reached the bottom step, he was greeted by two men, both of whom were of a muscular caliber. They were blocking yet another door which unquestionably led to the fighting grounds. These two, obviously enough, were playing as bodyguards, making sure men like Sergei wouldn't enter.

Sergei stared at them with narrowed eyes while they eyed him mischievously. After looking over their new guest, one of the men whispered snidely, "Sorry military boy, but you're not going to be heading any further."

Although the man's voice was hardly audible over the noise from the other side of the door, when the men before him began to ball up their fists, Sergei knew exactly what they wanted. At this moment it would be much easier to just pull the gun on them, but that would only cause a scene if anyone inside were to hear. No, Sergei had to do it the hard way. Pulling his glove down onto his hand, he took his Sambo stance and prepared himself for the bodyguards' first attacks.

The taller and slightly slimmer man made a lunge towards Sergei, preparing to strike the soldier in his stomach. With ease Sergei caught his arm and turned him around, forcing him face-first into the cement flooring. He continued to pull the man's back, anticipating a pop when he had dislocated his shoulder. Right as he was close to succeeding, the other man came rushing at him, this time his attack point was Sergei's head.

Releasing his grip on the other man, Sergei rammed his shoulder into the attacking man's stomach causing him to stagger back a few steps. Rising to his full height, Sergei ran at the staggering man in return and delivered a blow to the back of his head as he was hunched over, causing him to suffer a concussion.

With one man down, Sergei need only finish his business with the other one. Turning his gaze back towards the man who was now on his hands and knees, the Russian Sambo fighter grabbed ahold of his wrist and hauled him back up onto his feet. Desperate and enraged, the bodyguard, with his free hand, tried to take a swing at him which only proved to be fruitless as once again Sergei caught it. He was turned around and pushed up against a wall, his face being smothered by the bricks the building was built of. That was going to be the least of his concerns however when he felt his arm wrenching further and further back behind him until there was that satisfying pop Sergei had been waiting to hear.

He let out a cry of agony as pain began to surge of pain raced through his body. "You bastard…!" He muttered angrily. Sergei paid him no mind and let him drop to the floor as he held his limp arm in pain. All that was left to do now was knock him out. As the man turned to face the soldier who was still hovering behind him, he received a boot to the face, rendering him unconscious.

After putting the two men up against each other, back-to-back, he tied both of their left hands together using the cable he had stashed on his person. Running a gloved finger over the cut that ran along his bottom lip, Sergei gave them one last look before heading inside.

The moment he pulled open the rusty door, the music and shouting that had once been contained behind it now erupted into Sergei's ears. The place was filled with people of all kinds; gamblers, drug traffickers, and fighters of all nationalities. For a normal person it would seem impossible to focus with all these people and noises, but Sergei was different. He remained calm and composed despite the situation he was given and made sure that nothing would get in the way of his objective.

Running his eyes over his surroundings, Dragunov noticed that the mass of people were surrounding a single fighting ring. In the ring stood a slender woman, brunette, wearing a revealing ring girl outfit. Sergei narrowed his eyes. Target found…

Standing in the middle of the worn out ring, Anna was waiting for two fighters to participate in the next fight. She was getting impatient of waiting so began skimming the crowd for possible combatants. Leaning over the top rope, she caught sight of a black-haired man maneuvering his way through the many people, the whole time his steel-blue eyes set on her. Their eyes met and suddenly Anna felt herself get lost in those cold empty pools. She snapped back into reality when she suddenly felt fingers wrap around her ankle. Glancing down, she found herself staring into the ugly, rough face of the man she had tied up the other night.

Seeing that she was the woman from the night before, the brute hauled himself onto the ring to join her. "Remember me, darling," he asked huskily as he approached her.

Anna meekly backed away until she found herself cornered into the turnbuckle. "I-I've never seen you before," she replied back innocently. The crowd around them began to erupt in boos and cheers when the brute grabbed ahold of her wrist and leaned into the ring girl.

"You're going to pay for what you did to me the other day," he snarled into her ear.

Rather than hear a plea, whimper, or apology, the man instead heard a giggle come from her. Playing along, she placed her free hand on his shoulder and replied back in her sensual tone, "Is that so? We'll see about that…"

Before he could comprehend what she had meant, he suddenly felt pain gather below his belt. He looked down just in time to see the woman's knee retreating back from his groin. Looking back up to her face, he received a cute wink from the woman before he watched her exit the ring and scramble through the crowd in an attempt of quick escape. "Get her guys!" The man hollered out to the sea of people. Amidst the crowd, a group of seven to ten men nodded in the direction of the brute then took off after Anna. "That bitch is gonna' get it," he muttered under his breath.

Just as he was ducking his head under the top rope to prepare to leave, one of the announcers from below stopped him midway. "Hold it there," the man called, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where the hell do you think," He shouted back, retreating back into the ring, "I'm going after that bi—"

"But you have an opponent." The announcer interrupted, signaling in the direction behind the man.

The brute looked over his shoulder and was greeted by a pair of steel eyes. Turning around fully, the man scoffed at the full sight of his next opponent. "What, him? Ha!" It was true that in comparison, Sergei was much smaller than this beast, and perhaps that was why he seemed so confident in himself. One look at him though and the soldier knew that size was all he had. The bigger man rolled up his fingers then said cockily, "He just wanted a shot at playing hero for that woman." He broke out in laughter while at the same time preparing his fighting stance. "I'll show you where playing hero gets you."

Sergei pulled on his gloves then waited as the reckless oaf came moving in, his fist raised in preparation for a punch. Effortlessly, Sergei latched onto his arm and took him to the ground. Tugging onto the limb with all his strength, the soldier managed to release it from its socket, causing the crowd to cheer. Rolling away from the lout, Sergei got back onto his feet and watched how the man reacted in horror at the sight of his useless arm. "You bastard!"

Learning absolutely nothing from his last technique, the man rose to his feet once more then in a flurry of rage, he launched himself towards Sergei, this time catching him and pinning him under all his weight. He looked down at the dark-haired man's face and saw that despite his current position, his face remained blank and expressionless. Enraged by the look Sergei was delivering him, the brute raised his good arm, ready to distribute what he hoped to be a finishing blow to the Special Forces officer. However, before his fist could reach Sergei's face, he suddenly found their positions switched.

In one swift movement, Sergei had pushed himself off his back and tackled the heavier man down. Now sitting upon the man's stomach, Dragunov began a senseless beat down on the man's vulnerable face and skull. After suffering multiple strikes from the Russian's elbows and fists, the lout eventually went unconscious after he was dealt the final blow from Sergei's right fist.

Casually, Sergei rose to his feet then began heading toward the direction Anna and the others had gone, leaving the brute bloodied and bruised in the faded ring behind him. He had wasted too much time dealing with him. By now Anna could be gone when she had been within his reach only a few minutes ago.

He continued to push through the rowdy crowd until he reached a door that was much like the one he had come in from. Turning the knob, he pushed it open and found himself staring at an unconscious man writhing in pain. Sergei recognized him as one of the brute's men who had been chasing after his target. Due to his condition, Sergei could estimate that he had been attacked quite recently. Anna was still nearby.

After kicking another man into a pile of garbage cans, Anna once again took off running, the cold night air biting at her bare skin. In her haste she had left her fur coat behind in the underground leaving only her meager bikini top and mini skirt to provide her warmth. She stopped to catch her breath and began to think of how she would get out of this. There were still four men up and about if she had counted correctly and from her knowledge, they had split up to look for her. She preferred it that way seeing as how she would be able to defend herself easier in these conditions. Her only problem however was that she had gotten herself lost in this maze of alleyways.

As she was leaning against the building deep in thought, she could faintly hear the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow. They were uneven and reckless, and soon she realized that there was more than one pair of feet that was making the noise. They were getting close. Before Anna could make a run for it, she suddenly felt someone grab onto her wrist. "Well look who I've found," the thug sneered.

Anna glanced up at him and gave him a smile, "Why, hello," she greeted slyly.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Anna landed a punch to the side of his jaw then, as he staggered back, she planted a kick straight to chest. He landed flat on his back with a thud, but before Anna had a chance to admire her handiwork, she found herself, once again, caught by the enemy. Two strong hands had managed to grab hers from behind and before she could argue or yell, she felt all the air escape from her lungs. She fell onto the snow while she heard the sick laughs of the men who now had her surrounded.

Anna had left such a clear path in the snow; Sergei would be amazed if the group of thugs had failed to locate her. As he was following the print of her heels, along the way he had also come upon unconscious bodies. It was when he came across the third body that he began to realize that maybe he was underestimating her. Perhaps she was more than just a lovely face. He took the final turn into yet another alleyway where he heard a commotion breaking out.

Standing at the opposite end of the pathway were three thugs and a limp Anna kneeling on the ground before them. Sergei watched as they intimidated his target, groping and teasing her all the while. It wasn't until he made his presence known that the men stopped.

Anna had no knowledge Sergei had arrived until the men around her pulled their hands away from her stopped their threats and insults. "And who the hell are you?" She heard one of them ask.

Hearing no reply, Anna turned around to find the soldier from before approaching them. Able to get a close look at him, she found that the man was quite handsome. The seriousness and solemnity his face held sent chills down her spine and those eyes lured her in. Before she knew it, she found herself making her way towards him but was stopped when one of the hoodlums yanked her back. "Where do you think you—"

The man was interrupted by the sight of the soldier's gun aimed straight at him. Without having to be told, the thug released her and held up his hands in defense. "Hey look man, we're only doing what we were told. If we knew she was your…"

As the man rambled on, trying to justify his actions, Anna had reached Sergei and unexpectedly pressed herself up against his broad chest, stunning the soldier and causing him to lower his gun. He took a glance down at her and recognized the brown hair, muddy brown eyes, and…lightly painted pink lips that he had memorized from her profile. Except even though it was most definitely his target in his grasp, there was something about her that the photograph couldn't capture.

As he continued to gaze at her, Anna buried her face into his shirt and shut her eyes. Despite how cold he appeared the man seemed to be radiating warmth. As she was enjoying the warmth, she suddenly felt him shift and before she could react, she found herself being thrown aside, landing in the snow covered floor. Glancing back up at him, she found that the soldier was now busy occupying himself with the thugs.

After pushing Anna out of the way, Sergei delivered an uppercut to the first thug within his reach then flipped the other one over his knee leaving only one more standing. Learning nothing from the soldier's recent attacks, he came rushing in towards him, his pocketknife drawn. Nimbly, Dragunov ducked under the blade then used a shoulder block to knock the ruffian back. Before he was given the chance to recover, Sergei sent him flying into a nearby wall with a kick.

Anna watched him with awe as he finished off his last opponent, a gentle smile spreading across her lips. She rose up from the ground and slowly began approaching him from behind, her gentle footsteps crunching against the snow below her. When he was within her reach, she reached her hands out and began running them over his arms. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered innocently, pushing herself back up against his body. "Is there any way I can repay you…?"

Rather than wait for an answer that she wasn't going to receive, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her soft pink lips against his…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Warning! This chapter contains FLUFFY content and some…out-of-character-ness… I hadn't planned on making a chapter like this, but I had no idea how to make the story progress into my next idea except by using these methods. I tried very hard to keep Sergei's personality intact as well as I could. Anyways, thanks for reading, and please tell me how I did!**

Sergei felt a strange, tingling sensation as he felt Anna's lips travel over his own. It was a feeling he was never able to recall before. As if his body were reacting on its own, he suddenly felt his arm snake around her fragile waist. Perhaps he wanted to pull her away or push her closer. Sergei's mind couldn't decide so he instead let it rest on her lower back, neither pulling nor pushing.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Anna broke their kiss after only a few seconds. Sergei watched her step back, feeling a twinge of disappointment that they were no longer connected. She looked up at the taller man and then let out a little giggle. "You're such a bad kisser," she commented, recalling how his lips didn't fight back against hers during their quick kiss.

Sergei remained silent and stoic as she crawled back into the warmth of his body. For a moment, he almost forgot his objective as he felt her body press up against his for what seemed to be the fourth time this night. He found her behavior odd yet at the same time alluring. Just as he was about to place a hand on her shoulder, a cold wind blew in and within a few seconds the lightly falling snow had taken a turn for the worse. A blizzard had begun.

"It's getting awfully cold," she whispered, that suggestive edge in her voice. "If you'd like, we can go back to my hotel…" She was drawing light circles over his chest as she spoke, once again sending that strange, alien feeling down the soldier's spine.

Sergei's eyes traveled over the woman's body which he realized was poorly clothed. With temperatures reaching below zero, she would be lucky if she didn't suffer from frostbite by the next morning. He recalled the mission objectives Aleksander had given him. He had specifically stated that he wanted Anna alive and well when she was delivered to the base. Yet even if keeping her safe wasn't a part of his objectives, Sergei still felt that he had to do it, but why?

Gradually, the soldier freed his tucked in jacket form his pants and handed it to the woman. Surprised by the sudden offer, Anna stared at it for a few seconds before accepting it. "Thank you," she whispered politely, "But I do prefer your body warmth." Nevertheless, she slipped the camo-patterned jacket over herself. Due to their size difference, the jacket, which fit Sergei snugly, drooped baggily over Anna's thin body. She didn't seem to mind however as it provided her much needed heat.

With the wind billowing even harder than it had just a few seconds ago, Sergei, satisfied with Anna's attire, gently took her hand into his and began walking out of the alleyway, his "captive" not too far behind. In a blizzard like this, it was hard to see anything beyond five feet. Now that he had tracked her down, Sergei didn't want to lose her.

Anna found herself having difficulty keeping up with his quick stride as she was practically being dragged through a land of snow. Her vision was blurred by the falling snowflakes and it was a wonder how the man before her was able to navigate himself in this horrible weather. "Hey," she called over the roar of the wind, "where are you taking me?"

He didn't give a reply which didn't surprise Anna. Ever since she had come across this man, she hadn't once heard a word escape his lips. Strangely enough however she found his silent behavior oddly captivating. Not only that but his build and looks weren't even too bad either. All in all, she was very curious about him and wondered what he was planning on doing with her. Surely it wasn't a coincidence that she had stumbled upon him three times today. Judging by his apparel, he was definitely a part of some military branch, but certainly Anna hadn't committed such a crime to involve the government. "Excuse me sir," she said in that innocent tone of hers, "If you wouldn't mind, I would prefer to head back to my hotel near the city, if you please. I don't think I'm feeling all too well walking in these conditions…"

She wasn't going to take any chances if this man was after her. She would rather play it safe and leave him when he was asleep. Her regular techniques wouldn't work. Her Taser had been left in her fur coat back in the battle arena but even if she did have it, she doubted she would get a chance to use it. His fighting ability far surpassed hers, he would probably see her attack coming before she had even performed it. No, she had to play the damsel in distress and lure him to her bedroom.

Sergei abruptly stopped and turned back to look at her. She was turning awfully pale and her lips had lost their pink hue to be replaced by a faint purple. Unbeknownst to his own actions, he squeezed Anna's hand harder as she drew near him to rest her cheek upon their intertwined fingers. "Please…?" She begged sweetly.

He watched her move in, prepared to steal another kiss from him, but before that could happen, he pulled away and began dragging her off once again. She was right. This blizzard was more than he could handle. He wouldn't be able to reach headquarters in this sort of weather. He had to listen to her and take her back to her hotel.

Before long, the pair found themselves standing before the luxury hotel that Anna had described. They had walked for nearly an hour to find it, all the while having their hands joined. Anna had hardly noticed for her fingers were numb from the cold but Sergei on the other hand had felt her hand through his glove and he was well aware of how long they had been gripping one another's.

This time with Anna leading the way, the two headed up the hotel using the elevator and exited into an exquisite hallway decorated with potted plants and a lovely hanging chandelier. They walked past a few doors until they found the one with the plaque that read: Room 9F.

Reaching into her cleavage, Anna retrieved a key from it and inserted it into the lock. Pushing open the door, she gave her companion a smile and whispered, "Come on in…"

If not for the fact that he had to keep an eye on her, Sergei would have waited outside until morning arrived before coming to pick her up. Yet he knew how mischievous and sly she was. Even now, as she was leading him into her room, she was feigning innocence and naiveté. As if he didn't know what potential she had.

Once in the deluxe bedroom, Anna closed the door behind her while Sergei retreated into the dark corners of the room. She hadn't expected a blizzard to happen so had left the heater off, leaving her room as chilly as the outside. She walked to the thermostat located behind Sergei and began turning on a few switches. When a low humming began starting up, Anna retreated back to the bed, unbuttoning Sergei's jacket the entire way.

After releasing the last button from its hole, she slipped the sleeves off her arms while sneakily taking a peek over her shoulder. From her quick peep, she could see that the soldier had his eyes set on her. She smirked then bent over to begin unstrapping her heels. One after the other, she unbuckled the shoes until they were loose enough to kick off. They clattered as they hit the floor, causing Sergei to glance in their direction. However, his eyes would quickly return back to their main target as he saw that she was now beginning to work with her skirt. She stuck her thumbs underneath the elastic and very slowly, almost as if she were mocking him, she pulled the piece of clothing down her long legs. When the skirt was a pool around her ankles and all she remained in were her undergarments, she looked back at Sergei and gave him a smile. "I'm going to be in the showers." She approached him and teasingly ran her finger underneath his chin. "No peeking," she whispered into his ear.

Sergei didn't respond and listened as her footsteps disappeared into the bathroom. It wasn't until he heard the water running that he felt his muscles begin to relax. How long had he been so tense? Sergei couldn't recall being so anxious in his life. How could one woman have such a strange effect on him? In his mind, his targets were nothing more than subjects, but Anna, she was different. Not only was she beautiful, but Sergei saw her as something else, as a…human.

Dressed only in a towel, Anna stepped out of the showers a few minutes later and found that Sergei hadn't moved from his position by the thermostat. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she gazed at him as she headed over to the bed. Dropping to her hands and knees, she retrieved a suitcase from underneath the piece of furniture and opened it up. Inside laid a heap of clothes, some of which could be seen costing a fortune. She reached in and pulled out a pair of panties and a thin nightgown. With her back facing the Special Forces soldier, she dropped the towel from her body and began dressing herself before his eyes.

Sergei switched his gaze to the floor as he felt his heart begin to pound harder and harder against his chest. He waited patiently as she finished slipping the nightgown over her head before switching his gaze back to her. His first sight of her almost brought a rare blush to his face. The woman, dressed in her nightdress, appeared like an angel…

As Dragunov continued to stare at the beauty that was placed before him, Anna began to clear off the bed in preparations for her night. She shoved her suitcase back into its hiding spot then turned her attention to the next object which was his jacket. Picking it up, she prepared to fold it until something caught her eye. Sitting on the front breast was a name: Sergei Dragunov. Anna ran her fingers over he embroidered letters then smiled. Tossing the shirt aside, she settled herself down on the edge of her bed and gave him a smile. "So your name's Sergei?" She twirled a short strand of her around her finger and whispered, "Is it okay if I call you that or would you prefer something me to call you something else…? Mr. Dragunov…"

Sergei's face remained expressionless as she spoke to him. The look almost made Anna pout. How is it that she was unable to have any effect on him? He was so different in so many ways Anna just couldn't figure him out. Was he playing hard-to-get?

Extending her hand out towards him, she asked, "Would you like to join me tonight, soldier boy? The bed's big enough for two…"

Again he didn't respond, causing Anna to sigh in defeat. She crawled to the head of the bed and began pulling the covers up. She had to find a way to ensnare him in her trap before she fell asleep. She refused to be captured by the government. Taking a quick look back at him she narrowed her eyes and began to think. But was he really an enemy? He had saved her but for what reason? Did it matter though? He had been her hero, wasn't that enough to gain her trust?

Sergei noticed her muddy brown eyes staring at him and he couldn't help but stare back. He didn't want to admit it, but she was lovely. Although he could've continued staring into those beautiful eyes of hers, she suddenly turned away and flipped off the lights, leaving the room pitch black. She was going to sleep now. Or so he assumed.

Due to his sensitive hearing he had developed while training as a Special Forces Officer, Sergei was able to pick up the softest of noises, including bare feet against wood flooring. He saw a slight shift in the dark space he was staring into as a silhouette had entered his field of vision. He knew straight away then that his target hadn't been preparing for sleep but for something else. Before he could react, it was already too late. She had already made her move…

Sergei's body tensed as he felt Anna's body collapse against his. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and her soft lips sought his scarred ones. It took no more than a few seconds before the two found that their mouths were smothering each other. In the midst of their kiss Anna, with all her might, pushed Sergei down into a sitting position down on the floor. She followed him soon after, maneuvering herself into a spot between his legs while he leaned back against the wall behind him. Breaking their kiss, Anna placed her head underneath his chin and shut her eyes, a gentle smile on her lips.

After much thought, Anna had decided that she would trust this man, at least for one night…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Author's Notes: Welcome to Chapter 4 of Call of the Bluebird! In this chapter you get to see Anna's true self. I don't really know all about Anna's past regarding her family so I changed it up a bit. I hope you Anna fans don't mind. This chapter also begins to introduce another original character which I sort of imagined to be Gauron from Full Metal Panic. This is the start of the action now so as much as I hate to say it, there won't be too many lovey-dovey scenes for a while.**

When Anna awoke the next morning, she found herself lying on her bed. She had been neatly tucked in underneath the expensive sheets and when she took a peek beneath the covers, she found that she was still clothed in her lacy black nightie. Raising herself to peer out the arched window of her bedroom, she found that the blizzard from last night had let up and all that remained of it was the pile of snow that now covered the streets. She leaned back against the headboard to fully awake herself before she started her day and lazily let her eyes skim across the room. They passed over the furniture, clothes, and walls then stopped when they met up with a soldier who was standing in the far corner of the room.

Aside from the fact that his hair was dripping wet, probably from a shower he had taken earlier, he appeared exactly the same as he had last night. He was still dressed in his military pants, black T-shirt and he still wore that blank expression on his face. Anna couldn't help but wonder what he was still doing here. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched. "Good morning," she greeted sweetly. "Did you have a nice night?"

Sergei didn't reply. In fact, he didn't even take a glance in her direction. His eyes remained set on the floor down by his feet while Anna stared at him, confused. Throughout all last night, he had kept his attention on her whether she was getting dressed or just speaking with him. She wouldn't even have been surprised if she found him peeking on her during her shower. She narrowed her eyes at him. Something was going on…

Feigning her innocence and naïveté as she has always done, she rose to her feet and began approaching the man. When she reached him, she gave him a kiss to the cheek and told him just under her breath, "I'm going to be in the shower, _sweetheart_."

Unexpectedly, she was given a slight nod, a kind of reply, which furthered added to her confusion. Forcing a smile to her lips, she headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She should've known that this man wanted her for something and she made the mistake of trusting him. She threw off her clothes and turned the water on. Without even checking the temperature, she stepped in and let the warm water clash with her bare skin.

As she was scrubbing herself, she had to think, why? Why had she decided to trust him? He had saved her, but anyone could have done such a thing and she was sure she would've left them hanging just as she had done to every other man. Sure he was handsome but so were all the other businessmen she let down. This man, Sergei Dragunov, he was just…different. Not only in the way he behaved, but those eyes of his held something she was all too familiar with…Loneliness.

She dropped her arms to her side and narrowed her eyes. Ever since she awoke from her cold sleep, she had been alone. Although she had woken up with her sister as she had asked, Nina had lost her memories and wanted nothing to do with her little sister. That was when Anna came to realize that whether Nina had her memories or not, Anna didn't mean anything to her. It had been the same when it came to her father and mother too. She didn't matter…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of the bathroom door creak open and a soft thud soon following it. Pushing aside the curtains just enough to allow her head to peer out, she found that Sergei had thrown in a few clothes and a towel for her. Staring at the pink towel that was lying beside the black dress, Anna had to smile. He knew she had forgotten it…

After he had tossed in her towel and a dress he had found while digging through her suitcase, Sergei went back to his position in the corner, his mind deep in thought. He began to recall the night he had with Anna, when he held her in his arms while she was sleeping peacefully. It had felt so real and for once, Sergei felt that he could relax. However, it didn't take long for that peaceful moment between them to be ruined.

While she was in the midst of her sleep, the receiver within Sergei's person began to beep. Before it could wake Anna, Sergei quickly retrieved his pager and pressed an answer button, hastily silencing the next beep and allowing the man on the other end to speak.

"Sergei, are you there?" It was Aleksander.

Anna squirmed in his chest as Aleksander's voice echoed into her ear. Sergei pulled the radio away from her and prepared to stand up, but with her hands gripping his shirt the way they were, he would have taken her with him. He stared at her for a second or more before finally settling on what he should do. He stuck the receiver back in his pocket to pick up the woman asleep before him. Careful not to wake her, he tucked her into bed and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

When he was standing out in the hallway, he pulled the radio back out and listened as Aleksander began to speak once more. "Sergei, is that you?" Although Sergei didn't reply, he knew that it could be no one but. "There were reports that said Anna Williams was last seen with you. Contact me as soon as you reach this coordinate point and I'll send a helicopter to go pick you up."

Now, while waiting for Anna to get out of the shower, Sergei stared at the coordinate points he was given last night, pondering. For some reason, he felt reluctant to follow through with these commands. If it had been anyone else he had to subdue, he was sure this mission would have been completed last night. He clenched his fist in frustration. Why was he thinking like this? Orders were orders regardless of who was involved. Anna was no exception.

After slipping on the dress and undergarments Sergei had thrown in, Anna looked over herself in the mirror. She fixed a little strand of hair here and there then nodded in approval. After opening the door to the bedroom, she stepped out into the clearing and met eyes with her roommate, "Mr. Dragunov, how do I look?"

Although he had wanted to turn away, to resist his body's urge, Sergei found himself staring at her. If he ever bothered to show an expression, for sure he would have gaped at the sight before him. The little black dress made her look absolutely stunning as it showed off every little curve of her as well as give her bust a lift. If only Anna knew what kind of torture she was causing the man.

"Mr. Dragunov…?" Anna questioned as he continued to stare holes at her.

Upon hearing her voice, Sergei snapped out of his trance and turned away. If she continued sending these…_feelings_ to him, this day-long objective was bound to take a year. He went through the list of tactics he could perform that would speed up this capture. Only one option seemed to be the only one that would work at the moment.

While playing with the little black ribbon underneath her collarbone, Anna suddenly felt Sergei's shadow begin to hover over her. She looked up and found him staring down at her with those cold eyes of his. Startled by his sudden approach, she backed herself up until she found herself between a wall and the soldier. When she felt as if she couldn't be any more confused, she began to watch as Sergei began to dip his head down towards her. "S-Sergei…"

Expecting his lips to be crashing down on hers, Anna instead felt all the air escape from her as she felt a fist drive itself into her stomach. Letting out a gasp, she blacked out and her body went limp. Before she would fall to the floor however, Sergei caught her, holding her up in what seemed to be an embrace. As he held her, he couldn't help but feel a little remorse. She had trusted him but yet here he was, ignoring his body and instead listening to his duty. While throwing her over his shoulder, he hoped that perhaps she would forgive him for this.

The helicopter that Aleksander had sent arrived faster than Sergei expected. Sergei had only arrived on this rooftop for a few minutes before he heard the propellers slicing through the air. Before that, all he had managed to do was place Anna on the floor. He narrowed his eyes in the direction of the copter and wondered how they would arrive if he hadn't even called Aleksander.

The helicopter reached them within a few minutes and Sergei held on tight to Anna before the wind blew her off the building. As it hovered a few feet before them, two soldiers Sergei recognized gestured with their hands for him to get in. Wrapping Anna's long legs around his waist and tucking his hands underneath her thighs, Sergei rose to his feet and began heading toward the copter. As he was halfway there, he suddenly felt the woman snake her arms around his neck and heard her sleepily murmur something in her sleep. Then he stopped in his step when he realized what she had said. "Sergei…"

The woman was whispering his name in her sleep. She was dreaming of him. Uneasily, Sergei stared at the soldiers who were now signaling for him to hurry while he was feeling the woman in his arms. Was he going to regret giving Anna in to these men? Aleksander may have said he was just going to question her, but Sergei knew better. Once he received all the information he wanted from her, she was going to turn into another one of his test subjects. In Sergei's head he recalled all the tubes in the lab filled with things that were once human. Would Sergei be able to stand seeing Anna, this woman who he had just recently met, become one of those creatures?

The soldiers stared at him, confused. "What's he doing?" "Do you think he got hurt?" As the men bickered among one another, a man, broader and taller than all the others, looked out the door at Sergei who stood motionless just a few feet from the helicopter. He had a few stubbles underlining his chin and his dark hair was wind strewn as he stuck his head out of the copter. Upon seeing what Sergei had in his arms, the man couldn't help but give a sick sneer.

"Well what do we have here, Dragunov?" He yelled out as he stepped out of the copter. Sergei, upon spotting this man, narrowed his eyes, abruptly bringing the inner battle within himself to a halt.

He knew this man all too well. They had trained in the same military camp for years, each of them progressing as much as the other. Many of soldiers saw them as equals in their fighting ability, their emotions, and even in appearance. They had the same stature and height, _that _Sergei could understand when it came to mutual appearances, but other than that and their shared hairdos, Sergei could see nothing else that they had in common.

One thing people knew the man before Sergei to be was a cold-blooded killer. It was true Sergei performed missions and duties that were categorized under the same topic as murder, but it was not to say that Sergei took joy in it. He only did what was told and perhaps somewhere deep within him, he truly did regret at times what he was doing.

This man however lived off killing. He enjoyed hearing his victims scream and he unmercifully played with their lives while they were groveling at his feet. Sergei found his killing tactics unnecessary as he had seen how much suffering his victims go through. At times the man even killed for fun, stating that the civilian had "gotten in the way" during his mission. No one dared to argue against him for they feared for their own lives. It soon became a rule among the other soldiers that you should never get in the way of Mikhail Barclay.

While Mikhail was approaching the two, Sergei had unknowingly begun gripping the bottom of Anna's thighs harder and harder with each step the man took toward them. Sergei's hatred for this man stemmed farther than any could imagine. In his mind, Mikhail represented everything that Sergei hated. Corruption, greed, pride…The only thing that prevented Sergei from confronting him was not only his sense of duty, but also his sanity. If Sergei had killed Mikhail, he knew that the possibilities of him walking away as the same man were low. Until he had a reason, Sergei would not allow himself to kill the man.

The man reached Sergei and with his rough, calloused hands, he reached out and grabbed ahold of Anna's sides. Quickly, Sergei stepped back, pulling Anna from his grasp. Mikhail, slightly confused by his comrade's strange behavior, raised an eyebrow before letting out a laugh. "Aleksander was right!" He bellowed out while letting out that ear-pounding laugh. "He knew something suspicious was going on between you two!"

Sergei glared back at the man as his laughter slowly subsided. "You look confused, Dragunov," he said, "Would you like me to _fill you in_?" A dirty smug look crossed his face as he finished his sentence. Sergei, for a brief second, almost forgot his pledge to himself as he was tempted to bloody his hands with a specific someone's gore at the moment. However, he held back as Mikhail began to speak. "Aleksander realized how long you were taking capturing one wench so he sent some followers after you. They followed you for all of yesterday until you entered that little love hotel with her. So aside from what happened inside that little cozy room of yours, they witnessed everything from hugs to kisses." He burst out laughing again. "Who knew you had it in you, Dragunov!"

"That's enough Mikhail." Following the same path the brute had taken was Aleksander dressed in his black tailored suit. He was approaching the trio with his hands tucked into his pants pockets and a solemn, serious look set in his aged face. He stopped a good foot from them then met eyes with Sergei. "Forgive me for the espionage Sergei. I only wanted to make sure you accomplished the mission. I was foolish to think you would disobey orders." He looked at Anna in his soldier's arms and gave a nod. "I trust you didn't hurt our target too much?"

Sergei didn't give a nod or a reply as he felt anger begin to rise within him. Not only had Mikhail's appearance disgusted him, the fact that Aleksander hadn't trusted him sent his blood boiling. Yet he didn't show it nor speak up as his sense of duty once again took over. As long as his duty was accomplished, nothing else mattered.

"Alright then," Aleksander said turning on his heel, "let's get her to the lab before a blizzard picks up." As if nothing occurred, he headed back into the helicopter with Mikhail following close behind, a smirk set on his unshaven face.

After the two took their seats, Sergei, with Anna nuzzling her nose into his neck, mechanically followed in the other two's footsteps. Once he reached the copter, he placed the unconscious woman on an empty seat and settled himself down beside her. After slipping earmuffs over the both of them, Sergei watched as Anna tipped over, her head landing on his lap. He took a quick glance at the woman then scanned the faces of his fellow soldiers. They were too preoccupied with the scenery and chit-chat to notice him. Knowing that, Sergei placed a gentle hand over her head then slowly began pulling her hair back to reveal her slender neck. Looking down at the lovely face before him, he felt a sense of shame. He had betrayed the only woman who had trusted him…

As Anna felt Sergei's hand travel over her head, she couldn't help but give a small smile. How long did he think she was going to be out? She had awoken midway through their trip to the meeting place but remained quiet knowing that her chances of escaping were low. However, from the way he behaved when that man, who she guessed to be Mikhail, was approaching them, she was beginning to second guess herself. Her thighs were aching from the rough grip Sergei had on them, but she found herself enjoying the pain. Perhaps it was just because she knew it was his hands that were causing all the pinching.

She felt her way to his knee then when it was within her palm she gave it a squeeze and smiled. Whatever awaited her next, Sergei was going to be there to protect her, she just knew it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Author's Notes: Hey hey! Next chapter up! This one took a little while to write since I had so many ideas I had to organize. I'm really excited though since it's all coming together! Although I said there wasn't going to be so much FLUFF anymore, I couldn't resist in this chapter. Also, there'll be a little cliché story involving Sergei's past so be prepared! Oh, and before I forget, thanks a ton for the reviews. If I hadn't gotten so many I probably would've given up on this story a long time ago! Thanks a ton, I really appreciate it!**

Midway through their trip through the sky, Anna finally decided to stop feigning her sleep and rise into a sitting position. She let out a stretch and looked around at the unfamiliar place and faces. There were only four soldiers sitting in the helicopter, not counting the man in the suit, Sergei and who she guessed to be Mikhail Barclay. She turned her eyes to Sergei and whispered frightfully, "Sergei, where am I?" She wrapped her hands around his bicep and stared pleadingly into his eyes.

Sergei could see that she wanted to be comforted, to be told that everything was going to be alright, but he could deliver none of those.

Mikhail looked over his shoulder to find the two of them gazing dreamily into each other's eyes. A smirk crossed his face and he called out over the roar of the wind and engine, "Well, look who's awake!"

The man's rough voice, which Anna heard through her earmuffs, startled the brunette and caused her to clench Sergei's arm even tighter. She normally wasn't afraid of men no matter what appearance they had, but this man was different. She forced her eyes to peel away from him and focused them instead on her lap.

Sergei could feel the unease in her as he felt the grip on his arm become loose. He glanced in the direction of Mikhail while the man continued to speak. "You got yourself a pretty face there, little missy. I wouldn't mind spending some time with you myself."

Aleksander, who was sitting in the seat beside Mikhail, scolded, "Mikhail, that's enough!" Although Mikhail turned back around, his cackling laughter didn't stop. Seeing as how this was the best he could get from the uncouth soldier, Aleksander ignored him and turned back to Sergei and Anna. "How are you feeling, Anna Williams?"

In that sensual, albeit angry tone of hers, she responded back, "How do you think? Should I be happy that I was taken here?"

"You got yourself a quick tongue there missy," Mikhail commented, interrupting Aleksander's conversation. "Let's hope it doesn't fall off, eh?"

Aleksander sighed and continued to speak, "I'm glad that Sergei hasn't harmed you."

In her current position, Anna saw Sergei as the least of her worries. Wherever these men were taking her, she doubted she would be able to escape what with their fighting skills and weapons. She knew it was a mistake to have ever trusted the White Angel of Death, but even now, she didn't regret it.

Once they reached the base, Anna followed Sergei into the SPETSNAZ headquarters and then into a well-furnished luxurious room, clearly someone's office. On their way to the room, they had passed countless doors which held secrets Sergei hoped Anna would never have to see. Anna watched as he walked into the shadows of the room beside the curtains and become motionless once he was completely developed in darkness. She trailed after him but was stopped when she heard another set of footsteps enter the room. Looking over her shoulder, Anna saw that it was the suited man, Aleksander.

Taking no time to acknowledge anyone in the room, people, or guests, he went straight to business. "Miss Anna," he said, walking over to his desk, "if you would, could you take a seat?" He motioned to the leather sofas that surrounded the glass-covered coffee table while at the same time went digging through his drawers for some documents.

In defiance to his orders, the woman remained where she stood, staring at the older man with sharpened eyes. "Quite the man you are," she said, her voice low and holding a tint of anger, "Bossing me around after you kidnapped me."

Glaring up at her, Aleksander calmly responded back, "I just want to ask you a few questions Anna. Now if you would…" He looked back over at the sofa, hoping she would listen to him, but she didn't budge. He let out a sigh then leaned back in his chair, resting his hands in his lap. "Very well, if you prefer to stand, then by all means. But Miss Williams, I prefer you lose that attitude of yours. Like I said, we're only here to ask you questions."

In an act of disgust, Anna tossed her head aside and whispered, "Liar."

This single word caught the attention of both men and they listened on as she continued to speak, "As if I don't know what happens behind those closed doors." She imagined those doors lining each of the halls they walked past. Aside from the "Authorized Personnel" sign sticking to the door's surface, the hospital stench made her feel nauseous and sick as memories of her first experience as a test subject began rushing back to her. Quickly she shook the memories away before anymore began returning.

Knowing she was unable to escape Aleksander now, she slumped into the sofa that he had so badly wanted her to sit in before and gave him a bitter smile. "Go ahead, talk to me."

Sergei stared at her in awe. In one second she appeared sexy, flirtatious, carefree, and immoral but in the next she was an entirely different person of opposite characteristics. Her personality and moods were always going up and down; it was hard to keep up. Looking at her now, he couldn't help but think that perhaps these characters she played were a cover up for her true emotions.

Aleksander on the other hand didn't take the time to notice her personality change, nor would he care if he had. Now that she had decided to cooperate, he wouldn't waste this opportunity and quickly began with his questioning. "Twenty years ago, Ms. Williams, you were put into a cold sleep by Dr. Bosconovitch. Do you have any recollection of that day?" He spoke slowly, careful to pronounce every syllable of every word.

It hadn't even taken a second before Anna had answered him. "I don't," was her simple reply. She began to play with her hair, checking for split ends that didn't exist and twirling it around her finger. In the corner of her eye she could spot the scowl on the older man's face causing her to stop and glance innocently at him. With a gentle smile on her lips, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I want an honest answer, Anna," Aleksander snapped.

"And an honest answer I gave you," she retorted, almost giggling.

Aleksander wasn't known to be a patient nor naïve. He knew that Anna was only trying to play him as a fool, knowing that if she didn't give any answers, he wouldn't be able to dispose of her. Or so she thought. If she refused to give answers, she was only going to spare herself a few seconds before he would pry the answers from her through force. Rising to his feet, the superior whispered gravely, "I don't have times for games, Anna. Tell me what you know and I'll spare you whatever punishment I plan to give you."

Giving him a pout, Anna feigned a whimper. "But I really don't remember…" In all honesty, she really didn't. All she could recall was being encased in a cold cell and then drifting into sleep. She didn't know what chemicals were involved or how the process worked. Dr. Bosconovitch didn't see a reason in explaining it to her after all.

"Then your sister, Nina," Aleksander interrupted her thoughts, "clearly you must know about her whereabouts."

Nina was a sensitive topic to the brunette and also one of the few people involved in her life. As if Anna would tell anyone, let alone him, about her sister. Flipping her hair in his direction, she haughtily replied, "I don't have a sister." Once again, she couldn't really call this a lie either. Nina had never treated her as a sister. Ever since they were children, which seemed so long ago, Anna had always been walking the path of her sibling's shadow. She was invisible to her and no matter how hard she tried, Nina never seemed to notice the girl who was always trailing behind her.

While she reminisced, Aleksander had already lost the few fragments of patience he had. Turning around to gaze out at the city below him, he whispered, "You're a stubborn one…If you aren't going to cooperate, I'll just have to tear those memories from you, won't I?" His voice held a cold tone that Sergei, who has been working under him since he was seventeen, found it hard to recognize as belonging to him.

Turning to gaze at the young woman, the man called out, "Mikhail, escort Anna down to the main lab."

Mikhail? The name echoed in both Sergei and Anna's ears. The doorknob began turning and within few seconds, the beastly man Mikhail had entered the room, a smug look on his unshaven face. "Causing trouble eh, little missy?" He approached Anna and brusquely snatched her wrist, hauling her up to her feet.

Anna felt as if her arm was going to be torn from its socket as he began tugging her towards the door he had come from. She strained against him, but her struggling proved to be fruitless as she continued to be dragged behind the soldier. When Mikhail's hand took ahold of the metallic doorknob, both him and Anna heard a sudden shift in the room. Turning to look at the back corner where the noise had come from, Anna noticed that Sergei had stepped out of the shadows and was now staring daggers at Mikhail.

Upon seeing the man, a grin that reached from ear to ear quickly formed on Mikhail's face. "I almost forgot you were in here, Dragunov." He clenched Anna's wrist even tighter, nearly cutting off her blood circulation as his excitement began to rise. "Do you want something from me?"

Aleksander watched as Sergei made his approach towards them, taking note of the clenched fists and anger-filled eyes. He knew Sergei wasn't one to show emotion, which was the reason he found it so odd when he saw how mad he appeared. He didn't want to see the potential his soldier had when this angry so quickly called out, "Sergei, that's enough!"

Upon hearing his orders, Sergei stopped for a brief second before resuming his walk. No orders would stop him now. He wanted nothing more than to have Mikhail's neck in between his hands. The way he had grabbed Anna, he felt as if something had erupted when he saw that happen. Anna…He wanted to protect her…He stopped when that realization hit him and he looked at the face of the helpless woman in Mikhail's grasp.

Anna noticed his eyes on her and stopped her squirming to gaze at him. The way he looked at her made her face heat up and fade to a light shade of pink. "Sergei…" she whispered to herself.

Unable to take the tension in his personal office, Aleksander disrupted the trio by carelessly stepping in between them and ordering, "Enough of this!"

Reluctantly Anna and Sergei peeled their eyes off each other while Mikhail lazily did the same, disappointed that his fight with Sergei was postponed once again. Once he had their attention, he began giving them his new orders. "Sergei," Aleksander addressed, "from now on, I'm putting you in charge of Anna. Out of all of us, she'll most likely listen to you anyways." He turned his eyes to Mikhail and said almost in a sigh, "And as for you Mikhail, I'm placing you under a new assignment tomorrow morning."

Mikhail raised an eyebrow then with a scoff released Anna from his grip and watched as she ran to Sergei, wrapping her arms about his neck and pressing her face into his shirt. As soon as her body made contact with him, Sergei's anger immediately died down and was replaced by what Mikhail guessed to be relief. It was absolutely disgusting. Hoping to keep the fire in his rival burning, Mikhail whispered, "Take care of her for me, Dragunov. I'll be back to get her." With that he turned and left the room.

Fortunately for Anna, Mikhail had decided to postpone putting her through the machine that would literally squeeze the memories from her. He thought perhaps he should try using Sergei first seeing as how closely they got along. He told the soldier to keep her in one of the vacant "patient" rooms for the time being until he decided what would happen to her.

The rooms were located far beneath the SPETSNAZ headquarters but surprisingly they were kept as clean as a hospital. The walls were lined with white tiles just the same as the flooring and countless doors were placed an equal interval away from each other. Judging by the light buzzing that Anna could hear as she walked down the halls, she could tell that an air conditioner was running which would explain the freezing temperatures she felt.

"Sergei," she whined, "I'm cold…" Since the event that took place in Aleksander's office, Anna hadn't left Sergei's side. The way she clung to him almost made her reminisce about her childhood, but it was different. Although he didn't speak to her, as if through some morphogenetic field, Anna could feel the emotions he held for her.

Sergei looked down at the woman who stood right beside him and stripped himself of his jacket to once again wrap it around her. In all his life he had never felt more human before. Strange emotions fluttered in his stomach whenever Anna touched, looked, or said anything to him. The last time he could recall these feelings was during the terrorist bombing of one of Russian's cities.

He, along with the crew he had been given, was in charge of cleaning up the debris as well as clear the city of any bodies and survivors. One of the apartments he had been emptying held the bodies of two people, a man and what Sergei could guess to be his wife. As he carried the cadavers out into the street, he came upon a little girl no more than the age of five. She had bright brown eyes, brown pig-tailed hair, and a face that was covered in dust and scratches. She had looked up at the soldier and asked him innocently, "Are Mommy and Daddy okay?"

In that moment, Sergei's eyes had widened and he nearly dropped the two bodies in his stunned position. Even though he had just recently met her for not even a minute, he immediately reserved a special part in his heart for her. He placed her parents' bodies down on the worn down sidewalk and covered them up with a blanket as he had done to all the other bodies he discovered. The girl wasn't so naïve to not understand the meaning of death and Sergei watched in pity as she broke down to tears.

He had much to do and had no time to console the child so simply cleaned her face of her tears that were turning the dust to grime. One of the other soldiers in charge of gathering the survivors would find her. Leaving her with his handkerchief, Sergei rose to his full height and walked back into the apartment to clean it of anymore bodies, but stopped as he felt two little hands grip his.

Looking down at the girl, Sergei found he was unable to listen to his sense of duty as he met eyes with her. She was just a child but he…cared about her. Lifting her up into his arms, he delivered her to the truck where other survivors were located and deposited her into the embrace of an elderly woman. After that, he turned on his heel and walked off while he heard the little girl whisper into the air, "Goodbye…"

That had been the first time Sergei could recall doing something that his heart had wanted to do other than what his mind told him. He was now reliving that experience with Anna and he didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. Perhaps if he was given the option to live like this, he wouldn't mind all too much either...He suddenly felt Anna's hand squeeze his own, bringing him back to reality. How long had she been doing this? Instead of thinking too hard about it however, Sergei gently curled his fingers around her extremity and continued to lead the way.

Eventually they reached an empty chamber and Dragunov slowly pushed the entrance open to reveal a small white room containing only the basic necessities for living. A small thin bed was set into the far left corner of the room beside a metallic nightstand and on the right side of the room sat a table with drawers on each side. To Anna the room reminded her of an asylum; just the sight of it caused a chill to run down her spine. Thinking back to earlier however, she would much prefer staying in this room than in a tank filled with water possibly missing a limb or organ. No, she was thankful for her current position. After all, she looked down at her and Sergei's joined hands and smile, as long as she was with him, she got to be with him.

Twirling her finger over his chest, drawing light circles, she looked at the taller man and said in that recognizable sensual tone that Sergei found himself beginning to enjoy, "You know, you saved me back there. Is there anything I can do to repay you…?" Teasingly she began shedding his jacket off her shoulders, letting the straps of her dress fall down her arms with it. She looked over at the little bed then turned back to him. His expression remained unchanged causing Anna to let out a giggle. She snaked her arms about his neck and raised herself onto her toes. "Just kidding," she said before she planted a wet kiss to his lips.

As Anna was saying her goodnights to her "savior," unbeknownst to Aleksander and his men, a helicopter was flying towards the SPETSNAZ headquarters. The propellers sliced through the night air arousing any civilians below. The silhouette of a man stuck half his body out the door as he marveled at the sights below him. Suddenly the intercom on his head went off and a man's voice could be heard. "Bryan, do you remember your mission?"

A sinister smile etched itself onto the man's face as he gave his answer. "Receive the notes and kill anyone who gets in my way."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Three days had passed since Anna arrived at SPETSNAZ and she hadn't spoken a word of her memories to neither Aleksander nor Sergei. That was, however, not to say she didn't speak to Sergei at all. Every morning when he came to check up on her, Sergei would either find himself locked in her embrace or caught in one of her kisses. Either way, Sergei never pushed her away. He looked forward to this greeting routine each time the sun rose from the mountains. Today, however, was going to be different.

As he was heading down to Anna's current living quarters, a scientist, who Sergei had noticed was following him, mustered up the courage to speak to the intimidating soldier just as they were rounding the last corner that would lead to Anna's room. "Uh, Sergei Sir…"

Fortunately for the scientist, his wimpy voice managed to stop Sergei from taking any more steps and the raven-haired man now stood, waiting for him to continue. After gulping, the smaller man said in a rushed voice, "Aleksander wanted me to inform you that your duties have changed and that he wants you to head to his office ASAP." He took in a breath, glad that his words hadn't gotten twisted or jumbled.

His words however seemed to fall on death ears when he noticed Sergei begin walking off towards his former destination. "W-wait! Sergei sir!" Seeing as how using words wasn't going to stop him anytime soon, the scientist had no other choice than to grab onto his wrist with both arms and give it a yank. It captured his attention without a doubt as he now turned himself to gaze at the young man. "I'm sorry but you have to go to his office-"

Dragunov effortlessly stole his arm back from the young man as he reached the room where Anna was supposedly sleeping in at the moment. Just as he was inserting the key into its slot, the scientist threw himself between the door and the soldier, his face covered in sweat. "I'm sorry to say this sir, but Aleksander has also advised me to tell you that he forbids you from seeing Anna Williams."

The words struck Sergei as he stood in silence, slowly absorbing what he was told. He looked through the window on the door and just as he expected, he found Anna huddled under the covers of her bed, deep in sleep. He studied her sleeping face and realized how thin she had gotten within the last few days.

So absorbed was he in examining the young woman in the room, Sergei hadn't noticed Aleksander standing beside him until he spoke up. "He's right Sergei. I have an urgent request to take up with you." Although Sergei wasn't looking at him, Aleksander suspected that he was listening. "One of our cities was attacked. The attack was minor, but nonetheless we need your team to go investigate the area." He waited patiently for Sergei to make any move that would show he was going to get prepared, but there was none.

Aleksander let out a hopeless sigh and whispered in a cruel tone, "You would choose that woman, a replaceable human, like her, over your own country?"

Without a second's notice, Sergei's iron eyes were staring straight into Aleksander's blue ones. The scientist watched in silence as their stare down continued, neither of them flinching or losing their ground. It wasn't until Sergei decided to walk off that their match ended. Aleksander listened to his footsteps fade away behind him and as he listened he whispered, "Don't let your emotions get the better of you, Sergei."

As Sergei made his way to his office to prepare for the trip, he was greeted by one of his men who offered him the mission brief. Sergei ignored him and headed straight into his room, shutting the door behind him. The soldier stared at the door, confused. "Did he just look…mad?" He asked another soldier standing across the hall from him. All the other one could manage was a shrug.

While in his office, Dragunov distractedly rummaged through his things, clueless as to what he should be searching for. For the time being, all his mind ever seemed to revolve around was Anna. Whenever she was around, his stomach felt funny. He's already figured that she wasn't like any other woman he came upon but what were these feelings he had for her? When Aleksander had called her "replaceable" it was as if all of Sergei's nerves had been struck. There was only one of her in this world.

Taking longer than usual, Sergei emerged from his office carrying his essentials and wearing his combat outfit. The soldiers who were standing outside his door immediately saluted as he walked past. His lieutenant, a young, pale-skinned boy, followed after him and said in a calm tone, "We have the helicopter ready to dispatch. Is there any other preparations you want us to make before we depart?" Sergei reached his hand out, signaling for the mission brief, and the other soldier quickly delivered it to him.

Looking over it, Sergei determined that the assignment would take no longer than one day. However, it was an oddly simple request for Aleksander to take up with him considering that he was the best trained soldier, aside from Mikhail, within his disposal. What was Aleksander planning? Clenching the papers in his grasp, Sergei began heading toward the helicopters with his men following not too far behind. He planned to come back quickly to protect Anna from whatever that superior of his was planning.

"He's left sir." A voice emanating from Aleksander's communicator spoke.

Still standing outside of Anna's room, Aleksander nodded and whispered, "Good. Contact the lab and tell them to get the machine ready."

"Yes sir." With that said, the communicator went silent as Aleksander tucked it back into his pocket.

Aleksander peered through the window of Anna's door to see if she was still waiting for Sergei to arrive. The moment he had walked off, she had awoken and has since been waiting for him to come. Perhaps now, after an hour of waiting, it was time to break out the bad news for her.

The sound of the doorknob turning caused Anna's ears to perk in excitement as she anticipated Sergei's arrival. Quickly turning her head towards the door, she spotted the broad shouldered man entering and was instantly disappointed. "Hm? Where's Sergei," she asked sweetly.

"He's off on a mission, Anna, meaning that today you're going to be in my hands." He replied while making his way towards her.

Before he could reach her, Anna quickly surveyed the area. In her mind she made a list of what surrounded her: An open door, one scrawny scientist, and one middle-aged man. She wasn't sure of Aleksander's position when it came to fighting, though he did have a well-built body, but she had to take her chances. If Sergei wasn't here nothing would stop these men from doing what they wanted with her. The ideas that ran through her mind made her grimace.

As Aleksander was standing before her, he offered out his hand. Seeing as how she had no choice at the moment, she reluctantly accepted. As he helped her out of bed, he began to lead her out of the door, surprisingly gentle in comparison to how he had treated her days earlier. Nonetheless, Anna knew what kind of sick man he was, what with his threats he had used upon her. Looking over him once more, she let out a slow breath as she prepared herself for her escape.

Gently she tapped his shoulder to get his attention, murmuring under her breath, "Excuse me…" He turned around to see what she needed, but before he could react, he received a full blow to his nose from her fist.

Letting go of her hand, he staggered back, raising a palm to his nose as he began to feel a sticky liquid slowly oozing its way down over his lips and cheeks. "You bitch!" He yelled.

Anna's lips were formed into a little smirk as she gave his staggering body a wink. The scientist who was standing outside the door peered in as he heard the sudden outburst, but was quickly pushed aside as Anna made her way past him. After gazing confusedly at her as she made her way past, he turned back to his boss who was holding his face in pain. Joining by his side, he asked worriedly, "Sir, are you okay?"

He pushed the man away from his side and yelled, "Idiot! Go after her!"

"Uh, right sir." The scientist made his way onto his feet and began his pursuit of their subject.

As he did so, Aleksander wiped away the blood from his face to glare menacingly at the open doorway. "Anna…I'll make sure you suffer a miserable, painful death." He growled.

Although Sergei had led her through these halls countless times when she needed to go to the bathroom, as Anna was running through it now, panic had stricken her mind and she had no idea where she was going. Whenever there was a turn she took it, not knowing if that turn would send her back to the beginning. Fortunately her long legs had carried her a good distance from the man trailing her, but she needed more than that.

During her stay here, she was offered only two small, poorly cooked, meals a day. If not for Sergei, who stood by her bedside, unknowingly giving her comfort, she would have refused the food and would thus be in a more weakened position than now. Yet now, after only five minutes of running, she was already exhausted. Slowly, she slumped to the floor to gather her breath. At this moment she wanted nothing more than to have Sergei with her. She preferred him over her own mother, father, and sister…

Just as she was prepared to take off running again, something caught ahold of her hair and she was violently pulled back. She felt her back collide against another body and as she looked down she saw that whoever was holding her had on a camo-patterned combat uniform similar to Sergei's. This man was the same height as him and had the same build. "Sergei…?" She looked up at his face only to spot the sinister smile that could belong only to who she learned to be Mikhail Barclay.

"Well well, what a surprise. I come back from my mission and look who decides to greet me." He let out a laugh as Anna squirmed her way out of his grasp and landed onto the floor before him. Her current position and outfit seemed to arouse the man as he stared on with lust-filed eyes. "Look at you. It's no wonder Dragunov wants you for himself." With both hands, he gathered both her wrists and pulled her up to her feet.

"Let go of me!" She fought against his grip but it proved to be fruitless as his grasp only became stronger. Then her struggling was put to an end as she found herself up against the white walls with his mouth smothering hers in what had to be the vilest kiss Anna found herself caught in. In a desperate attempt to rid this man from her, she bit onto whatever skin she found and pushed against him with all her strength. After what seemed to be an eternity, he finally broke away, wiping away saliva and trickles of blood that covered his lips.

Backing away from the soldier to regain herself, she tried to keep herself calm knowing that if she showed any signs of weakness, he'd only make another move on her.

Suddenly they heard footsteps begin to approach them from behind Mikhail as Aleksander and a few other men had found them. For the last time in her life, Anna was glad to see the man, though she was positive that he was more than angry with her. However, Anna would rather be caught by him than his beastly soldier any day.

"I'm glad you found her Mikhail," Aleksander congratulated as he was within hearing distance. "Perhaps with you around Anna there will be bound to listen to me."

Both set of eyes cast a glance at her as she stood at the corner, breathing heavily as her breath still hadn't returned to her. Mikhail gave her a smirk as he asked mockingly, "Causing trouble, eh? Wait 'til Dragunov hears of this."

Aleksander walked past him towards Anna. While he did so, he replied, "Sergei isn't going to be hearing about any of this. He's off on a mission." He reached the young woman and looked disgustedly down at her. There was no sign of remorse for her, only malice intent. Raising a hand, beckoning for Mikhail to come forward, he ordered, "Now, bring her to the lab for us."

Mikhail smiled as Anna's heart froze and crumbled at the demand. The soldier snatched her wrist and began dragging her along with him, laughing in a low breath. "Oh you're gonna' get it now…" He mocked.

During their entire walk down to the laboratory, Anna behaved like an unwilling child who was to visit the dentist. She tugged and pulled at her arm, not in attempt to free herself, for she saw that that would be an impossible feat with his vice grip, but to perhaps trick him into pitying her. Yet no matter how innocent or naïve she behaved, his grip never loosened and within a few minutes of wandering through halls unknown to her, the three of them were standing before a metallic door isolated from any other room.

It didn't take a genius to know what was behind these doors. As soon as the entrance was opened, the sight of a horror movie was revealed to Anna. Pale bodies floated in tanks filled with water while others were strapped down onto metallic beds, noting in her mind that the beds were similar to the one in her own room, and what disgusted her the most were the random line of organs that lined the back walls of the workroom. The sight nearly made her gag and she felt her knees begin to buckle.

Ignoring the grotesque sights before him, Aleksander casually made his way over to one of the scientists, who was studying one of the floating corpses, and asked, "Is the machine ready?"

"Yes sir." The man looked past his superior to Anna and examined her for a brief second before turning to grab some supplies from a nearby table. He opened up a cupboard and pulled out a thin, short gown. He casually tossed it backwards, caring less if it was aimed towards his superior or the ground, and said, "Can you slip her into that while I get my supplies? Thanks."

Aleksander looked back at Mikhail and threw the gown back at him. "Do it." He said simply.

"You heard the man," Mikhail smirked at the brunette who in turn didn't respond. Rather than care about her current state of mind, he began slipping the straps from her dress off her shoulders. He was prepared to push the dress down past her chest until a scientist approached them.

She was a female, blonde and slender. "For sanitary purposes, I'll be the one in charge of undressing and cleaning her." She stole the white gown from Mikhail's hands and freed Anna from his grip. "Come with me Anna Williams." Taking her by the hand, she led her to the back of the laboratory and into what seemed to be a shower room.

The walls were lined with marble just the same as the floor while little drains were placed around the edges and center of the floor, and showerheads were found on every wall. The woman, expressionless and stoic, held out her arm and asked of Anna, "Please remove any piece of clothing you may have and stand under the shower."

Now that she was away from Mikhail and the corpses, Anna felt the color return to her skin and the strength return to her body. "And if I refuse," she asked defiantly.

"Do not forget where you are and who surround you, foolish woman. Or would you prefer to have Mikhail Barclay wash you?" Although she was delivering threats to the brunette, her voice remained monotone and empty.

Seeing as how Anna had no choice in this, she herself stripped down and stepped timidly underneath the showerhead. The woman, with her heels clicking against the marble flooring, headed over to where a few knobs were and turned one to the right. Anna quickly stumbled back as a gush of freezing water exploded onto her. However, the water began to gradually warm and she stepped back in. She shut her eyes as the water ran down her voluptuous body. When was the last time she got to take a shower like this? She recalled back to a few days and remembered the night at the hotel room, the first day she had met Sergei. Just thinking of him brought a smile to her lips.

As she daydreamed about him, she suddenly felt something squishy run up and down her claves. "Sergei…," she whispered out loud, a blush rising to her face.

"Did you say something?" The woman's monotone voice asked. Quickly Anna broke out from her daydream to find that the scientist was scrubbing her legs with a sponge foaming with pink bubbles. Rather than wait for an answer, she rose to her feet to begin cleaning Anna's upper body.

If it had been anyone else, supposedly a man, Anna would've argued against them, declaring that she would've been able to clean herself. However, the woman was gentle and seeing as how they were both women, she didn't see anything to hide.

After the scientist had cleaned her from head to toe, Anna was pulled from the showers and patted until dry with a towel. Afterwards the white gown was slipped over her head and onto her body where it hung loosely just an inch above the middle of her thighs. Before Anna had the chance to examine herself, the woman pulled her from the shower room and back into the lab where they were greeted by the scientist from earlier.

The man held a syringe in his hand filled with a clear fluid. He eyed Anna then asked the woman, "Is she clean, Feia?"

The woman, Feia, nodded in response. "Yes. Should I go prepare the machine?"

Taking Anna from her grasp, the scientist shook his head. "We've already got it prepared. All that's left now is to insert the subject." With that said, he prepared the syringe and slowly began raising it up towards Anna's neck.

Although Anna saw it coming, she couldn't force her body to put up a struggle. She felt as though her body had just decided to freeze on her and like she asked for it, the scientist injected her with the needle, delivering the mysterious liquid into her veins. Almost instantly the shot took effect as Anna began growing dizzy and she felt herself go limp. Before she knew it, she had blacked out.

With her unconscious, the man gingerly deposited her into a metallic tub filled about a foot high with water. The man strapped her down with the metal clasps located in the bottom of the container then walked over to the huge computer right across from the tub Anna lay in. He began pressing and typing in words as the screen changed from one thing to another.

Aleksander approached the devoted scientist and stared confusedly at the screen. After realizing that he was unable to comprehend the symbols and data presented before him, he asked the man, "So Yuri, how is this going to work?"

"Easy," he began to explain, "The water that she's lying in has an electrical current running through it. Those currents can trace her brainwaves which we could then analyze and translate. "

Aleksander nodded then turned his eyes to the brunette who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "Will it hurt?"

Yuri nodded. "Yes, it's definitely not an easy process for the subjects to go through without a doubt. Even the anesthetic we injected into her will not be able to numb out the pain. Do you have a prob-"

The scientist was interrupted by the SPETSNAZ's security system going off. Whining alarms and flashing red lights lightened the room causing the scientists to panic. "What's going on?" "Evacuate!" "Save the subjects!"

As he watched his scientists scurry to and fro, Aleksander calmly reached for his phone and typed in a few numbers before raising it to his ear. He waited for a few seconds before someone picked up from the other end. "Liza, what's going on up there?"

"Not good sir," replied her frightened voice, "The base has been infiltrated!"

Aleksander's eyes widened in horror as the door leading out to the hallway was forced open and a lone figure, carrying what appeared to be a Gatling gun in his arms, appeared in the room.

The man's body was adorned with scars, more than even Sergei possessed, and his eyes held no sign of life, no sign of remorse. His eyes reminded Aleksander of the soldiers and subjects he created. Terrified now, Aleksander quickly sunk behind a wall just before the man began breaking out all sorts of mayhem.

With his Gatling gun, Bryan Fury shot at anything or anyone that got in his bullets' paths. Glass shattered, sending the unfortunate subjects sprawling out onto the floor, and bodies fell in a pool of blood. Aside from the screaming coming from the throats of the dying, the test subjects, or the panicking, there was also the mechanical laughter that came from the intruder as he used up bullet after bullet.

Within seconds the room went quiet as all noise died down. Feigning death by smearing himself with a fallen man's blood, Aleksander watched in the corner of his eye as Bryan walked over to a computer to begin digging through the drawers and its contents. After minutes of going through the files, he seemed to have found what he wanted as he tucked a manila folder underneath his arm and smiled. He rose to his full height and prepared to make an exit until something caught his eye.

On his left was a tub that was amazingly untouched by the bullets he had fired. Taking a look inside he spotted the face of the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He skimmed her from head to toe and immediately found those long legs and curvaceous body irresistible. Seeing as how he had gone through so much trouble already, Bryan felt as if he should reward himself. Easily snapping the clasps that held her, he threw Anna over his shoulder as a smirk played on his face. Looking over the chaos that he had caused, Bryan, satisfied, left the room with Anna as his prize…

**Author's Notes: Finally this chapter is done! There were so many ideas I wanted to shove into this chapter I didn't know when I would be able to end it. I'm really excited to start the next chapter while the ideas are still in my head. So until next time! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Author's Notes: Ugh! I'm real sorry for the long wait, but I just haven't had the time to write.  
>(Or when I do, I can't organize my thoughts so I don't get anywhere.) Well, so this chapter ended up real short since I decided against shoving all my thoughts into this one chapter. I'll make sure the next chapter is back to the regular lengths though. Anyways, thanks for being patient and please enjoy! <strong>

The moment Sergei returned from his mission, he knew something was wrong. No soldiers wandered about on the helipad and Liza, the secretary, hadn't called him on his intercom to ask if anything had happened. Everything was oddly silent. So silent, even the most oblivious of his soldiers seemed to notice the strange air that surrounded the SPETSNAZ headquarter.

As soon as the helicopter landed and the propellers began to die down, Sergei and his men exited then stared at the building entrance. Most of them had been involved in war and battles that they seemed to develop a sixth sense that warned them of oncoming dangers. They made sure their weapon was within reach and slowly began heading towards the door that would lead inside.

Generally Sergei would've taken as much caution as his men had when opening doors that could potentially have a threat lurking behind them, but when he took Anna's condition into consideration, he got careless and brusquely pushed it open.

The hallway that was to be filled with people rushing to and fro was vacant. Almost instantly his team knew something was up and after Sergei gave them the signal, they began rushing down the halls, opening any door and quickly aiming their guns. As they did so, Sergei began making his way down to the patients' quarters in hopes of finding Anna there.

While taking the path down the halls to find Anna, Sergei came upon the lab which had clearly been broken into. Taking a look inside, the sight near froze him as countless of his colleagues lay on the blood-stained floor. Gripping the gun attached to his back, he made his way in carelessly stepping in the puddle of blood and dirtying his boots. His eyes scanned desperately for Anna, but she was nowhere within sight. Sergei didn't know whether to be relieved or not.

As he was walking by a cabinet, a body toppled over before him and as he looked over it, he realized it was Aleksander. His superior looked up at him and relief washed over his face as he spotted who it was. "Sergei," he said breathless. He rose to his feet and frantically grabbed at Sergei's outfit. "Sergei," he repeated, "A soldier came and-"

Sergei didn't have time to listen to Aleksander's problems just yet. He had already decided what his top priority was for the time being and was prepared to walk away until Aleksander whispered, "He took Anna Williams." If there was ever a time in which Sergei displayed any emotion, now would be it.

With a grim look plastered on his face, Sergei seized ahold of the man's collar and stared straight into his eyes. Without having the need to speak, Sergei delivered his message to Aleksander. Unlatching his fingers from his shirt, Aleksander replied, "I'll explain it all, but first…" He looked around at the mess of bodies that scattered themselves along the floor, "We need to clean these up."

XoooooX

Dr. Abel couldn't believe his luck when he had watched Bryan enter his laboratory three days ago with not only the notes, but a new specimen for him to study. She was a long-legged beauty, but he could care less about the minor details. "And who's that you have with you Bryan?" He had asked the former protocol officer.

Bryan dropped the unconscious woman on the steel flooring and tossed the notes towards the aged scientist. His body was wearing away and within a few more minutes he was sure another piece of his arm was going to peel off. Dr. Abel took notice and nodded. "Oh yes, yes. If you will Bryan, settle yourself into that seat there and I'll be with you in just a second…"

As Bryan walked off weakly, Abel looked over Anna and almost drooled in anticipation at being able to dig through her organs and discover what interesting things SPETSNAZ had performed on her. And perhaps, he thought, he would be able to combine her cells with the devil gene. His heart was racing as he thought about all he could do to her and nearly forgot about the decaying man waiting for him until they let out a groan. "Oh yes, Bryan. I'm coming." He passed one last glance towards her before he headed off towards his patient.

Now, three days later, Anna found herself strapped down to a metallic table, her eyes blindfolded as an irritating drip echoed throughout the room. She had just recently been sprayed with freezing cold water while an old man's voice drawled over the intercom. "Are you ready for test number two?" The voice asked.

Even if Anna had wanted to answer she didn't have the strength. Two days ago she had been injected with some sort of serum that although heightened her senses, put her in excruciating pain. Her body was numb and even the quietest of noises nearly made her ears explode. The light that they had put her under nearly blinded her which was why she was fortunate for the cloth covering for her eyes.

The scientist looked down at her from his personal office and grinned. "Did you know, dear child, that when a human's body temperature exceeds over 107 degrees, their cells begin to solidify?" He asked into the microphone sitting before him. "Well it's true. That's why they tell you to watch out when your fever gets too high. It's also the reason why your body becomes charcoal when it becomes engulfed in flames." He let out a laugh that reverberated through Anna's eardrums. "Ah, but what if the human cells were to be modified and adjusted to survive such temperatures?"

It didn't take a genius to see what he was hinting at. Anna, vulnerable as she was, bit her lip as she heard a door open and gentle footsteps began to make their way in towards her. She could already imagine the syringe in their hand and felt herself tremble. What kind of chemicals was going to enter her body next? In desperation, she began to writhe as best she can, refusing to allow the scientist an opportunity to inject her. However, with her hands and feet bound, the struggle proved to be useless as the man above her easily stilled her and inserted the needle.

The pain that rushed into her made her eyes begin to tear up and she began to bite down harder on her lip, causing a cut to open up. As much as she tried to resist, the pain became too much and she let out an ear-piercing scream. Uncontrollably she began to thrash about; trying to fight back the agony, but the metal clasps limited her movement. "Get me out of here…! Please…Anyone…" Her mind began to go through the short list of people in her life from her parents to Nina then to her favorite soldier. As her mind drew an image of him, Anna's body slowly began to go limp as her struggling began to come to an end. For some odd reason, having him in her thoughts seemed to brush aside all her pain.

After watching the subject calm down, the scientist who had injected her looked up at Dr. Abel and asked into his walkie-talkie, "Should we proceed with the experiment now?"

Dr. Abel gave a sinister grin and replied, "Yes. Do we have the incinerator fired up?"

Incinerator? As soon as she heard the word, her mind snapped back into reality as Dragunov's image vanished. She didn't think this man was planning to actually setting her on fire! Although fear immediately struck her, she forced herself to stay calm. She wasn't going to give this man, who was still unknown to her, the joy of watching her suffer in her final moments.

As she lay on that table in silence, with her hyper sensitive hearing, she began to hear Dr. Abel speak to one of his subordinates. "What is it now?" He had asked grumpily.

"We can't…threat from Aleksander…her back…" Anna couldn't quite hear the other person's voice but she did manage to pick out a few words.

XoooooX

Dr. Abel stared fearfully at the phone in his secretary's hand. "Did I just hear you correctly…?" He whispered to the pale black-haired woman, "Aleksander is really sending troops over?"

"Yes sir. And he wants the woman, Anna Williams, back. Now please, if you will, he's waiting on the other end." She motioned to the blinking phone within her palm.

With his wrinkled hand, Dr. Abel cautiously took the phone and slowly raised it up to his ear. Without having made even the slightest of noises, Aleksander already knew Dr. Abel had taken the phone. Before Dr. Abel could fathom the idea of how he knew, he was greeted by Aleksander's voice. "I know it was you, Abel," Aleksander spoke coldly. "You sent your soldier here to wreak havoc in my lab, didn't you?"

"Now hold on," Dr. Abel retorted back, "I only sent him to receive notes for his operation. You see, Bryan's body was decaying-"

Rather than listen to his story, Aleksander continued right on with the questions. "So I assume it wasn't you who told him to take my subject, Anna Williams?"

"Why no," the aged scientist replied back innocently, "Bryan took her out of his own free will."

"Regardless of why she's there, we're coming to take her back. And we want her back alive and unharmed. Do you understand?"

Slowly, Dr. Abel looked out his office window to Anna down below and gulped. "Well, Aleksander, I can't say that she's _unharmed _per se, but she's most definitely alive."

"Prove it then. Let us speak to her. Then we'll consider whether we should demolish or spare you and your lab."

Frantically Dr. Abel rushed down to the experimentation lab, arousing Anna from her short-lived peace. "Anna, dearie," he spoke in a panic stricken voice, "wake up. Someone wants to talk to you." He held the phone up to her ear, hoping that she would say something soon.

Anna listened and didn't hear anything other than a very faint, almost inaudible breathing emanate from the phone. The gentle breaths reminded her of someone and instinctively she whispered his name. "Sergei…" Her voice came out weak, but it was nonetheless heard by the man on the other end.

XoooooX

Upon hearing her speak in such a feeble tone, Sergei clenched the phone tightly within his grasp. She sounded so pained; it almost hurt him to hear her in such a condition. Rather than leave her in the dark, he slowly released the tension on the phone and said in his cold, deep voice, "I'll be there…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Aleksander watched Sergei in the corner of his eye as he listened to Anna on the other end. Seeing him so attached to that woman disgusted him to no end. What happened to the cold-blooded soldier he had trained? As he turned away to avoid looking at him, he scarcely managed to hear Sergei speak. Out of all the years he had known the man, Aleksander never once heard a word escape his lips. He had gone and thought that he was mute altogether. Looking back over his shoulder, he realized that Sergei had already closed the phone and had already carelessly dropped it to the floor.

With an unseen anger in his eyes, Sergei began making his way out of Aleksander's office, walking right past his superior without even a second glance. Ever since Aleksander had told him about what he had tried to do to Anna, Sergei had been giving him the cold shoulder. Sure it was never in Sergei to act friendly, but there was a much different air surrounding him than normal. And it was all because of that woman.

Just as Sergei was pulling open the door leading out to the hallway, Aleksander ordered, "Sergei, I don't want you to join your troops on this mission. I need you to stay here and-"Having his words fall on deaf ears, Aleksander watched as Sergei walked out, closing the door behind him.

Dragunov made his way down the halls with uneven steps as he made his way down to his room to finish some final preparations before his departure. As he entered, he shut the door behind him and strolled over to his desk where a single object sat. It was the portrait of Anna Williams he had been given when he was first assigned the mission of subduing her. He picked it up and stared long and hard at her.

At first Sergei saw her as nothing more than what her picture told him: A female with brown hair, blue eyes, and pink lips. Yet upon meeting her, she became more than just a picture. She became real. She had feelings, emotions that turned her into a human being. Then, whether she had planned it out or not, she had won him over with that haughty, sexy attitude of hers. That was why he decided he wanted her back.

Tucking her photo into his breast pocket, Sergei selected his weaponry and began making his way to the hangar where his helicopter was waiting. When he arrived, he was greeted by ten of his soldiers, all of which prepared to follow any orders their superior was to give. As they simultaneously gave him a salute, the same pale-skinned lieutenant of his approached him carrying a strange black bundle in his arms. He gave him a salute while he presented the object to Sergei. "This is for you, sir," he spoke.

Sergei held the item up causing it to unroll and reveal itself as the black dress he had last seen Anna wearing. As he was still studying the object given to him, he heard the young man state stoically, "I found it in the shower room, sir. We thought it would be for the best if we give it to you."

A strange silence took the room as the soldiers watched Sergei study the dress in his hands. Finally he rolled it back up and began making his way to the helicopter, his lieutenant trailing not too far behind. Quietly the boy, Markov, whispered to his superior, "We'll save her, sir."

With all the soldiers in the helicopter, the helicopter took off, following the coordinates that would eventually take them to Dr. Abel's lab. From his office Aleksander watched as the helicopter flew off, an irritated look on his face. Who did Sergei think he was, disobeying him? Did he forget that it was because of him that he was where he was now? No…Aleksander couldn't blame Sergei for his behavior. It was all Anna William's fault.

XoooooX

"_I'll be there…" _The words still echoed in Anna's ears long after she had received the phone call. Although she hadn't heard Sergei's voice before, she had, through some unknown reason, known that it was him.

His words were a gift to her and they assured her that he was going to protect her. His words alone gave her some peace of mind as she lay in this strange, mysterious place. Despite the fact that she felt like jelly, Anna tried her best to stay strong because her need to see Sergei surpassed all of her other wants. However, the experiments ceased after SPETSNAZ had called them, but Anna still remained strapped to the steel table as well as blindfolded.

As long as she wasn't being bothered, Anna could wait for as long as she needed for her knight in shining armor to arrive…

Bryan stared down at Anna from Dr. Abel's office with a grin on his face. Ever since he returned from his assignment, he hadn't been given the chance to play with his reward. Dr. Abel had advised him not to go near her or remove her from her confines. Any change in her current position could result in something critical. For the time being it was best to leave her in her comfortable position until SPETSNAZ came and got her. Whatever happened afterwards was going to be their fault.

Bryan however wasn't one to listen to rules. Just like any other human being, Bryan had an undesirable need. However, his need was different from any other man's. What Bryan wanted was to see people suffer and who was a better person to have suffer than the lovely woman strapped down on the table before him?

Anna had heard him enter the room, but had no idea who he was nor did she know of their intentions. She heard his footsteps stop near her and listened to his heavy breathing. As she tried to keep still, Anna heard the man pull retrieve something from the silver tray that sat on the desk by her head. From the sounds of it, she was able to conclude it as a metallic item. Before she could decide what they were doing, she suddenly felt a cold object touch just below her navel.

Slowly, Bryan began dragging the knife he had come upon up her body, leaving slight cuts as he made his trail. Just as he had run the knife over her torso, he was interrupted by the sudden blaring of an alarm and gunshots. A smirk crossed his face as he heard the chaos begin to break out upstairs. He dropped the knife then made his way to the fight, leaving a fearful and whimpering Anna lying on the table.

XoooooX

Sergei and his troops had successfully made their way into the lab, and with guns aimed, it didn't take much for the scientists and assistants to comply with their orders. As Sergei ruthlessly shoved a man face-first up against a wall, Lieutenant Markov asked the unfortunate man, "Where are you keeping Anna Williams?"

"She's being kept in the lab underground," the man replied hastily before Sergei gave his body one final shove. As he crumpled to the floor, Sergei began heading deeper into the lab as his soldiers finished business behind him.

XoooooX

It would take a deaf man not to be able to hear the chaos breaking out in the lobby. Dr. Abel locked himself up his office as soon as he heard the sirens go off and was now hiding behind his desk, hoping with all his might that the SPETSNAZ soldiers would overlook this room during their destruction. He could only wonder what anger they would be in once they found the state Anna was in. He knew he should've escaped when he had the chance.

As Dr. Abel was regretting his actions for multiple things, the doorknob suddenly began rotating back and forth as someone tried to make their way in. Gulping, Dr. Abel watched as the knob was broken off and the door was pushed open.

At the sight of Bryan Fury standing in the doorway, the elderly doctor was immediately relieved of half his stress. He would've hugged the man if not for the fact that he was gripping a nice machine gun in his arms. "Bryan, thank goodness." Dr. Abel rose to his feet and went over to the former protocol officer. "Aleksander's soldiers, they've come! You have to get rid of them!"

Bryan let out his maniacal laugh as he stared at the man's pitiful face then pushed him aside to grab the magazine hidden in the scientist's desk drawer. After reloading his gun, he left the room with his goal set.

XoooooX

After having gone through multiple halls, destroying any rooms and bounding any people who got in their way, the SPETSNAZ soldiers had at last come upon the last door that would preferably lead them down to the basement. Sergei opened the door and was greeted by two different stairwells: One that went up and one that led down. Silently he motioned his troops to move upstairs while he began heading downstairs on his own. Although reluctant, the men made their way to the top as they watched their sergeant disappear down into the lab.

Sergei found himself standing in a white room whose walls were lined with shelves of jars of chemicals and other unknown things. The sight was all too familiar with him as he had remembered a similar room back in Aleksander's headquarters. As he looked over his surroundings, he spotted a door located in the far back of the room which possibly led to Anna. Before he could take a step towards it, it opened up on its own and soon Sergei found himself standing in front of a scarred man…Bryan Fury.

Upon seeing the weapons the man held, Sergei quickly pulled his pistol and shot a few rounds before he would have the chance to do the same to him. He hit spot on, striking the man in his chest, shoulder and side. He watched as Bryan fell onto his back before completely putting his pistol down. Having no time to waste, Sergei began to make his way past the corpse until he suddenly felt something latch onto his ankle. Glancing down, Sergei found that the man was still alive and the bullets he had shot into him were being forced out as his body began to recover.

Bryan let out a laugh as Sergei pulled free and stumbled back a few steps. He rose back onto his feet then retrieved his machine gun from the floor only to once again feel bullets run through his body. Bryan didn't know what Dr. Abel had done to his body, but he wasn't one to complain when his body had the ability to mend itself. With his gun in his arms, he took aim at the Russian and began to carelessly unload a whole round of bullets in his direction.

Quickly Sergei dived behind a metallic cart, suffering only a few wounds to his right arm as they were caught in the crossfire. The cart took the bullets well, letting only a few through, which fortunately for Sergei, whizzed right past him. Once the machine gun stopped firing, Sergei quickly looked over his shield and shot the remainder of his ammunition into the man's chest and forehead.

It was no good. The man simply rejuvenated. Realizing now that guns wouldn't work on him, Sergei tossed aside his pistol and decided on his next option. He would break this man with his own bare hands. He knew that his machine gun had already been carelessly used up which would give Sergei the chance to approach him.

Kicking the dented cart across the floor to him, Sergei followed right after it to strike Bryan straight in the face. He fell onto his back giving the soldier an opening. Quickly following up on his attack, Sergei hovered over him and landed blow after blow to his face. Struggling, Bryan, with all his effort, kicked the man of and sent him crashing into a shelf full of chemicals. As they fell off the shelf, one of the chemicals splashed onto Sergei's shirt, causing the spot it had touched to disintegrate. Dragunov seemed to take notice then grabbed the half-opened bottle before he dodged the oncoming man.

Liquid splashed everywhere as Bryan collided into the shelf, leaving a mess of shattered glass along the floor. He ignored it however as he continued to charge at the soldier. When he was just a foot from him, Sergei dodged the punch aimed for his head then tossed the chemical onto Bryan's chest. Almost instantly, the chemical began eating away at his skin and no matter how much his body tried to rejuvenate itself, the chemical ate away at a much faster rate than it took his body to mend. Bryan let out a groan as he tried to wipe at the chemical that was literally eating him.

As the mysterious substance tormented Fury, Sergei took advantage as he landed a kick to his head, causing him to fall back to the glass-covered floor. Spotting how much damage the chemical had caused, Sergei decided that now was the perfect time to finish the job. With Bryan's muscle eaten away, Sergei pulled out his second pistol and took aim. He shot a single bullet into his heart, silencing the former protocol officer for the second time.

Once he was sure Bryan was dead, Sergei patched up his own wounds before heading into the room beyond the door. Just like the last one it was the sanitary white, but this one was much bigger and had higher walls. Following the walls up, Sergei spotted windows in which someone could look down from, and he quickly skimmed over them, making sure no one was watching him. The room was also abnormally vacant save for a single table with a woman strapped down onto it.

XoooooX

Anna's heart was racing as she listened to the sound of footsteps approaching her. Just a few minutes ago she was listening to bullets ring out as a fight had ensued, but for some reason, the sound of footsteps put her on the edge. The footsteps got closer and closer until at last they had reached her. She felt them hover over her, but they didn't do anything.

The sight of Anna in such a weak state enraged Sergei as he looked down at her. She had been stripped nude, strapped down, and blindfolded. The ideas that ran through his mind at the sight of her enraged him and he clenched his fists to hold in his anger. From the way her body appeared she was starved and as Sergei looked down at her stomach, he found a faint cut running along it. With a gloved finger, he gently traced it, watching as Anna cringed and gasped at the feel of him.

The feel of his finger sent a chill down her spine and she felt as the mysterious man above her continued his way up to her chest, her neck, and eventually reaching her cheek. With both hands he delicately cupped her face with his hands then before Anna could wonder what was going to come next, she felt a pair of lips land on hers.

The kiss was gentle and tender, quickly dismissing the idea Anna had in her mind about biting him. Rather she took the time to feel his lips with her own. They were cold and with her sensitive skin, she was able to make out a scar on his upper lip. Only one person she knew would have such a scar…

After pulling away just slightly, Sergei slipped his finger underneath her blindfold to pull it free from her eyes. Two pairs of blue eyes met after that and immediate joy reached Anna's heart at the sight of him. "Sergei…It took you long enough…" Even after all she had gone through, Sergei was amazed that she had the time to tease him like that.

Taking the key off the table by her, Sergei began to unlock the metal clasps holding her down. He started with her feet first before moving up to her hands. The moment he set her hands free, they were immediately thrown around his neck and he was pulled down to once again enjoy another kiss with her.

After they reluctantly broke apart, Sergei covered her in his jacket then scooped her up in his arms. It was time to leave now. As he entered the room where he had his fight with Bryan Fury, he met up with his lieutenant who had good news to report. With a salute the stoic young man said, "Sir, we've subdued Dr. Abel and our helicopter is ready to depart. Is there anything else you want before we leave?"

Sergei looked down at Anna who had already drifted to sleep and narrowed his eyes. He had decided something while on the helicopter ride here. He wasn't sure at the idea at first, but now with Anna here in his arms, he knew it was what he wanted. Glancing back up at Markov, he nodded then began to whisper his directions.

When he was finished, Markov stared at him with a look of pure shock. "Are you sure about this, Sir?" He asked with a worried tone in his voice. Sergei nodded causing the lieutenant to gulp. However, with the serious look set on his commander's face, he had to trust him and follow his orders. Reluctantly he turned on his heel and whispered, "I'll go tell the others."

XoooooX

Three days after, Aleksander watched as Sergei's helicopter returned. At the sight of it he made his way to the helipad to welcome back his soldiers.

One by one the soldiers exited the helicopter, Aleksander keeping an eye on all of them until at last the pilot himself left. Aleksander looked over the troops gathered to his right and realized someone was missing. Sergei Dragunov… With fists clenched at his sides, the man asked, "Where's your commander, lieutenant?"

Looking down at the floor, Lieutenant Markov unprofessionally responded back in a weak tone, "Sergei Dragunov has turned his back on SPETSNAZ and has thus gone AWOL…" Balling up his fists he turned his face upwards to stare straight into Aleksander's eyes. With as much courage and strength he could muster, the young man willed himself to speak the following words. "In other words, Sergei Dragunov has made himself an enemy of SPETSNAZ."

**Author's Notes: And that's the end of Chapter 8, I hope you enjoyed! Something I have to say about this chapter is about Anna's eyes. For the first few chapters when I wrote about her appearance, I kept stating that her eyes were brown. After looking at some Blood Vengeance pictures of her, I noticed that they were in fact blue so I changed them so it was accurate. And I hate to mention this so many times, but I'm real sorry if Sergei seems out-of-character. It's so hard to make him behave romantically…! Well thanks a ton for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Author's Notes: Ahh! I'm so, so sorry for not updating in like FOREVER! I suffered from "Writer's Block" and I kind of lost motivation. So sorry if this chapter is sort of lame, but I had to push myself into writing something to get me back on my writing track. Anyways, tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!**

The sunlight peeking through the curtains poured over Anna's face as she was peacefully dreaming, causing her to let out a moan and pull the covers over her head. It had been a while since she had felt so comfortable she didn't want to wake now and ruin it all. She let out a slow breath and was prepared to drift back to sleep until the sudden realization hit her. She was on a nice comfortable bed with blankets to cover her. Quickly she sat up and with wide eyes looked over her surroundings.

She was in a moderately small room that consisted of modern and well-built necessities. There was a bathroom on the right of her while the mini kitchen sat across the room from her. Anna had been through enough traveling of her own to know that she was in a hotel room. It wasn't the best like the ones she was used to, but she would prefer this over Dr. Abel's laboratory any day.

As she made an attempt to recall the latest events before this moment, she noticed the shirt that she had on her. It was a man's plain white dress shirt which had been buttoned up to only three buttons leaving her chest open for any wandering eyes. However from what she could see she was alone in this room and even if there had been, there would be no fixing it anyways.

Leaning back against the headboard of the bed, she hadn't noticed how exhausted she was. Her eyelids were growing heavy on her and it was proving to be quite a feat to try to keep them open. Seeing as how there was no reason to stay up, she shut her eyes to give them a little rest. Her hearing kicked in then and she suddenly noticed that the shower was running. However, with her body half asleep, she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes.

Sergei stepped out of the bathroom a minute after and spotted her in her upright position. He strolled over to her side and placed a hand on her back and bottom so as to slide her back onto her back. Once this was done he took the time to study her lovely face. The color had finally returned to her after three long days, and all that was left now was to feed her. However he couldn't do that until she awoke.

After pulling the covers up over her chest, he rose to his full height and looked out the window. He scanned the streets below for any suspicious persons, but alas found none. Although he would prefer to keep the curtains closed, the appearance of it would be all too suspicious during a bright day such as today. He wondered how long they would be able to stay in this place before Aleksander would find them. He already took a chance at staying here for as long as he has, but with Anna in her current condition he didn't want to make her move any more than she had to.

As he turned his attention back down to her he had to wonder if he would regret turning his back on Aleksander and all of SPETSNAZ anytime soon. As he continued to study her, she began letting out a little moan and tossing her head back and forth as a blush rose to her face. Wondering what she could possibly be dreaming of, Sergei placed a gentle hand on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

His gentle touches aroused her from her sleep and as her eyes flickered open she found herself looking up at her favorite soldier. Giving him a weak smile, she said tiredly, "Why did you wake me…? I was having the best dream about you…"

Seeing as how she was prepared to finally awake fully, Sergei helped her up into a sitting position and placed some pillows against her back to ease her. After she was settled into a comfortable position, Sergei walked off towards the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator where he pulled out a bowl of food for her. He placed the bowl at her bedside table and handed her a spoon.

Anna stared at the utensil then passed him an innocent look. "You're not going to feed me…?"

He gave her a glare then dropped the spoon into the bowl only causing Anna's frown to go deeper. Upon seeing the look on her face, he turned away as he felt that same alien feeling hit him again. He had been feeling this emotion for the past few days now and he knew that she was what caused it. This feeling was the reason why they were out here to begin with.

Oblivious to the inner battle Sergei was having within himself, Anna lifted the bowl to her lap and began to spoon the cold porridge into her mouth. Although not a big fan of the wheat dish given to her, after going through so many days with an empty stomach, the meal was pleasing to her. Before she knew it she had finished the entire bowl.

Sergei took the empty bowl from her lap and began heading back to the kitchen. As he prepared another bowl for her, he heard the bed creak. Turning around he found her prepared to rise from her bed as she swung her legs over the edge. She pushed herself up onto her feet and stumbled a little before sinking to her knees as exhaustion took over.

The soldier walked over to her side and placed a hand on her back and an arm underneath her knees as he picked her up bridal style. Within this close proximity of one another, Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered sensually, "Can you carry me to the tub? I really would appreciate a hot bath…" She began to twirl a finger over his chest while leaning into him. "Would you like to help me?"

Sergei didn't acknowledge that he heard her second question, but decided that if she wanted a bath he would give one to her. It would give him some time to himself and give her the relaxation she needed. Casually he headed into the bathroom and sat her down on the edge of the tub as he began unbuttoning the shirt he had loaned to her. Anna watched him with not a single show of shyness even as she sat completely nude before him. After tossing the shirt aside, Sergei clogged the tub and turned the faucet, letting the water run. As he stared at the water rising, Anna had her eyes concentrated on him, admiring his features.

When the water reached the level of his satisfaction, Sergei rose to his full height and began to leave the room, leaving Anna to tend to her own business. He shut the door behind him and proceeded to the window overlooking the streets. He didn't know who Aleksander was going to send after him so all he could do was suspect everyone besides himself. Fortunately for him, he knew the methods SPETSNAZ used to track down their targets as he had been in charge of most of those missions. He just had to be careful and cover his tracks. However, he turned his eyes to the bathroom door; _she_ had already attracted too much attention.

It was uncommon to find a woman with beauty like hers and on his way to this cheap little hotel he had already heard many passersby mention her lovely features. If any of Aleksander's men questioned any of them on her whereabouts, it wouldn't take long for them to be pointed in the right direction. Not to mention that he wasn't all too inconspicuous either, what with his military attire and fearful gaze, he was not going to be a face one would quickly forget.

Realizing he had to remedy at least one of these problems, he walked over to the pile of clothes in the corner of the room and dug through it. There was nothing that he owned that would pass for "casual" or at least discreet. Then as he was studying outfit after outfit, he suddenly realized another problem…

Anna came out of the bathroom at the right time and asked sweetly, "Sergei, I don't think you have any clothes for me to borrow, do you…?"

Sitting down on the bed with Sergei's military coat around her shoulders, Anna watched as he looked over the money he had in his possession. From her view she could see that he was carrying an awful lot and it was no surprise to her either with his position in the army. He began walking out, but with a frown on her face, Anna stopped him on his way out by asking, "Are you going somewhere without me…?" She didn't receive any kind of answer so she made her way towards him, the jacket dropping from her shoulders.

Sergei felt her bare body press up against his back and as he turned around he found that he was staring straight into her beautiful eyes. "Sergei," he heard her speak, "don't leave me." Although she had said it teasingly, Sergei could sense the sincerity in her voice. She didn't want to be alone.

Frustrated with his inner feelings and having difficulties considering what he should do, he sat her back down on the bed and took a seat beside her. He wanted a way to tell her that he was going to return and he knew only one way for her to understand…He tipped her chin and brushed his lips against hers. It was a light kiss in comparison to all the other ones they've shared, but this one left Anna surprised. When he had pulled away, she turned away to hide the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

Before she had any time to recover, she felt Sergei gently push her so she was down on her back and he was hovering over her. "Hey," she giggled while lightly gripping his wrists, "What are you doing?" She watched him pull the covers out from under her and soon realized he was tucking her in. Until now, she hadn't realized how sleepy she was despite how much sleep she had received and slowly felt her eyelids grow heavy. Sergei sat by her side watching as she fluttered those beautiful blue eyes of her shut.

He looked her over a few more times, realizing how he enjoyed her sleeping form, then decided it was time he took his leave. Rising from the bed, he made his way to the door and opened it to reveal the hallway. He took one step out then stopped. He glanced over his shoulder, back towards the sleeping woman on the bed, and whispered in his low voice, "I'll be back."

Anna heard the door shut soon afterwards and smiled. She flipped to her side and pulled the covers around herself even tighter. She drifted to sleep with a smile on her lips soon after.

Mere minutes after Sergei left the hotel, a SPETSNAZ soldier made his way in. He was clad in his army attire as if he was on a mission and he possessed a serious air. Upon his first entry to this unknown place, he scanned the lobby with his blue eyes while other eyes laid themselves onto him. The lobby went into a deathly silence as the soldier began making his way towards the counter.

His black boots echoed with each step he took across the floor until he reached the receptionist. She seemed intimidated by him as she felt herself backed up into a corner as his gaze penetrated into her. Gathering all her courage, the young lady gulped and asked, "Can I help you, sir?"

He placed down a picture in front of her…The picture of Sergei Dragunov. "Where is this man?" He asked in a strong, demanding voice.

The girl, despite her anxiety, managed a peek at the photo and let out a gasp. "This man…He walked in late at night carrying his wife."

The man raised a slender eyebrow. "Wife?"

"Oh, yes. She was pretty beat-up but one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. I could never forget her face." The receptionist replied honestly.

The man narrowed his eyes as he pondered what the girl said. Sergei didn't have a wife. _That_ he knew for sure. Considering what had been going on for the past few weeks, he could only guess that the woman who was mistaken as his wife must be none other than Anna Williams.

He smirked which startled the young lady before him. "Which room is this man residing in?"

Upon hearing his question, the girl flinched. "I-I can't release that information, sir. It's a part of our code and—" She was cut off as his hand slammed to the desk.

"Hurry up!" He yelled.

"Right away!" Quickly she pulled out her logbook and skimmed down the list of names until she came across the names, "Pretty Woman and Soldier". She was never given names from the man so she had no choice but to make them up. Clearly the girl had no sense of imagination. "They're in Room B6."

Once he received the information he began heading upstairs. It wasn't until now that the guests in the lobby noticed the machine gun strapped to his back.

The soldier headed up to the third floor where he searched for the sixth room. It stood on his right and he assured himself it was Room B6 by the plaque on the door. "Sergei…" he whispered as he gripped the handle, "You traitor…" He narrowed his eyes then opened the door…

Down in the city, Sergei exited a store carrying two bags in each hand. He was talented in many things, from cooking to fighting, but shopping was not one of them. If he could, he would have sent Anna out on this job to purchase her own clothes and undergarments. After all, how was he to know what to buy? He didn't even buy his own clothes. He glanced into one of the four bags he carried and squinted. In all honesty, he had no idea what some of the things he bought were.

The snow began to fall so he threw on his babushka that matched his brown commander's uniform. He looked down at himself and recalled how important the outfit he donned meant to other soldiers. He had climbed to the top and this uniform, with all his medals attached to it, symbolized that feat. Yet now what had he become? He had become a traitor. He had tossed away his position and honor and for what?

A snowflake fell onto the scar located on his bottom lip, leaving that area cold. Sergei placed a finger on his scar and recalled a woman who always managed to warm up his lips with a pair of her own. When he thought of her, the ideal behind his uniform suddenly didn't matter.

As he thought about her for a moment longer, he realized his urge to see her again. He hadn't been apart from her for too long, but knowing her, if she had awoken from her sleep without seeing him there, that pout of hers would appear. The image of her almost brought a smile to his face. Almost…


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Author's Notes: Ta-dah! And here's Chapter 10 of Call of the Bluebird. Now, here's the warning for this chapter: There is a little bit of mature content (AKA: What you guys call LEMONS) but it doesn't go into detail if that makes you guys feel better about reading it. My story is after all only rated T. Other than that, I think Sergei and Anna fans are bound to love this chapter, so please tell me what you think and tell me where I could improve. Oh, and in the next few chapters, I'll be sure to get back into the action part of this story. Sorry FLUFF…**

Upon entering the hotel, Sergei found that the entire lobby was in an uproar. All the patrons seemed to be in a panic and they talked among themselves in hushed whispers. As Sergei walked by, he caught a few words here and there. "What do you think he was looking for?" "…a soldier…" "…bullets fired…"

Summing up the words he heard, Sergei came to the simple conclusion that Aleksander had already tracked him down. At this moment, all he could hope for was that his plan worked. He rushed up to the hall where his room stood and smirked when he found a crowd of people causing a commotion around the room that read B6.

He casually joined the crowd and peeked in. The room was in total disarray and nothing was left unturned. Not only that, but feathers littered the floor after the mattress and pillows were shot out. Just by looking at the state of the room, Sergei already managed to narrow down the list of culprits to one person. Kliment.

He had met him when they were recruits, both of them training within the same regime. He had always lagged behind Sergei in each of their drills and it didn't take long for Sergei to surpass him. To add insult to injury, Kliment, who was once his equal, was put under Sergei's command after he had become a commander. After watching his performance, Dragunov soon realized how careless and reckless Kliment was. However, there was one thing Kliment was honorable for. He was a devoted husband to his wife, always keeping his promises to her.

As he studied the room before him, Sergei could just see "Kliment" written all about the upturned furniture and destroyed walls.

Stepping away from the chaos, Sergei slyly slipped away unnoticed down the hall to the room labeled B12. He examined the door for any signs of an intruder and smirked when he found not a single scratch on the wood. Satisfied knowing that no one had tried to sneak in, Sergei unlocked the door and entered to find Anna kneeling down beside the doorway.

The moment he saw that she was well and alive, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. His plan, although risky, had worked.

When Sergei had been assigned a room upon his arrival, the receptionist had originally written down B6, the room Kliment had raided. By the way she spoke and behaved, Sergei could tell she wasn't accustomed to her line of work and was rather on the ditzy side. When she had given him the keys belonging to his room, Sergei used her own clumsiness against her. Quite simply, he flicked her pen, causing it to roll to the floor and in the few moments she spent looking for it, Sergei reached over to the nearby key rack and plucked from it the keys belonging to room B12.

It was a risky move because depending on who Aleksander sent, they would either search the building up and down or as Kliment had done, simply investigate the room Sergei was assigned. No one knew how Sergei thought, but they considered him a level-headed man with enough common sense to leave a premise that he was recently spotted at which is why he thought it was best to remain here for the time being rather than start running amuck so quickly.

Upon his entry, Anna gave him one of her innocent smiles and pushed herself closer to him. "Welcome back," she greeted. She spotted the bags hanging from his hand and raised an eyebrow. "What do you have there?" Like a child excited upon seeing her parents arrive home with gift in hand, Anna, while still on her knees, heightened and peeked into one of them. What she saw made her bring her hand to her mouth as she gasped. She looked up at him and gave him a seductive smile. "Are these for me…?"

Walking away from the door, Sergei placed the bags by the bed while he closed the curtains. For all he knew Kliment might still around the area. As he turned away from the window, he found Anna sticking her nose into one of the bags and pulling from it handfuls of lingerie he had bought for her. She seemed overly ecstatic, in Sergei's mind, for a person receiving _underwear. _Nevertheless, the happy look on her beautiful face made him feel content and almost made him forget about the fact that he was now wanted by the SPETSNAZ Military.

As she continued to dig through the clothing, Anna felt Sergei's eyes glued onto her and glanced up at him. Without a doubt, her sixth sense was right. Gathering all the bags, she stood up and gave him a wink. "I'm going to go change. No peeking." With hips swaying, she walked into the bathroom tossing the jacket she was wearing at Sergei.

He caught it before it could collide with his face, but before he could take a look at her, she had already disappeared into the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Anna poured the contents of the bag out onto the floor and marveled at the dazzling and beautiful articles before her. Everything was overly priced from the lingerie to the extravagant evening gowns. These items were fit for a queen. As she continued to glance over the price tags, she suddenly felt something strange hit her: A pang of guilt.

He had gone through so much for her from the day they first met and she had yet to return the favors. Letting out a sigh, she slumped down against the door and said just loud enough so Sergei could hear on the other end, "Hey, Sergei…?"

Her voice, although a little muffled through the door, caught the soldier's attention and he looked towards her direction.

Somehow, despite the awkward silence she always received when speaking with him, she knew she had gotten him to listen. With a voice he was unfamiliar to hearing her with, Anna began to speak. "I hadn't wondered this at first when I was sick, but now I have to ask: Why are we here?"

That was right. Anna still had no idea why they were here and was probably oblivious to the fact that Sergei had betrayed all of SPETSNAZ. Not only that, but she also didn't know that he had no idea what was going to happen next.

"You saved me from that scientist, but then shouldn't I be with Aleksander?" She fiddled with her hair as she thought about other weird happenings. "Then there was that commotion that broke out just down the hall…"

_Commotion, _Sergei thought. She must have been talking about Kliment.

"Was he looking for you, Sergei?" Her voice sounded almost worried as she asked that final question. As she sat in silence, wondering if he would speak to her, she suddenly felt his presence standing right outside the door. She could imagine his eyes looking down on her, telling her almost telepathically that she mustn't worry. A little smile formed on her lips as she smiled. "You sure do like to keep secrets from me, don't you? Well, if you're going to do that, at least let me repay you for all you've done." With a finger to her lips, she looked at all the clothes lying around and smirked when her eye caught sight of a pair of jade green undergarments.

As she was slipping on her outfit, Sergei sat down on the edge of the bed to ponder his next move. In order to decide on that move, he had to go inside of Aleksander's head which since his teenage years, he knew inside out.

First off, although he was sure Sergei would leave the premise, he would double-check and send undercover soldiers to study the area so as not to panic the city. Sergei knew how these undercover operatives worked however, knowing that they would only come in a group of three or two to avoid suspicion. Also they were only used to double-check, not necessarily fight. They wouldn't prove to be too much of a problem. Once the area was secured of the traitor then…

For a split second, Sergei 's mind, for a split second stopped working as he caught sight of Anna walking out of the bathroom dressed in a sexy lingerie that flaunted her curves. She made her way towards him with a playful smile on her lips and Sergei, although he had seen her nude before, found her absolutely breathtaking and found it difficult to take in all this beauty at once.

While he was still stunned, Anna settled down onto his lap and ran a finger under his chin. "Judging by your face, I can say that you like it?" She asked him in a whisper.

Sergei, who was very aware of what was going on, watched as she repositioned herself on him, straddling him now as both her knees were on either side of him. She placed her hands onto his shoulders and was gently pushing him down, but realized that Sergei wasn't planning on budging anytime soon. He had wrapped his hands around her wrists to resist her.

Anna, upon seeing this, let out a pout and dropped her hands to his sides. "Sergei…? What's wrong sweetie?" She leaned her lips into his and he connected them. It was a little peck and when Anna pulled away she whispered, "I can read you like a book and I know what's going on in your head."

What was going on his head? At the moment there was a lot running through his mind from SPETSNAZ to the nearly bare body pressing up against him. He struggled against her only to avoid adding more to his mind. Or so he thought.

Placing her hands on his cheeks, she whispered, "You're caught in a battle between desire and duty, aren't you?" She placed her head on his shoulder and continued speaking. "I know you. You're a good soldier, always following orders. Just look at these badges." She ran a delicate finger over the medals on his jacket. "But you have to think, Sergei…When was the last time you did something _you _wanted to?"

Her words captured his attention. When he thought about the answer to that, he could only recall one time: When he defied Aleksander. That choice ended him in his current position, but looking at the beautiful woman in his arms, he had to think, was that really a bad thing? For once, he could say that he was…happy.

He looked at Anna, who was still waiting for an answer, then, grabbing both her hands in his, he leaned back onto the bed, taking her with him. She landed on top and Sergei could spot the lovely smile on her lips as she looked down at him.

Slowly, Anna reached her hands up his shirt and began peeling the item away. Once she had removed it from his body she stared dreamily at his well-toned torso and blushed. Tracing each of his abs, she slowly worked her way down to the belt of his pants where she began to fiddle with the buckle.

With a little help from Sergei, his pants and boots were removed, leaving only his briefs for Anna to deal with. Just as she was prepared to strip Sergei of his last piece of clothing, Sergei gripped both of her wrists once again and flipped them so that they were now in opposite positions. Now that he was on top, he took advantage and gently held her face between his hands before he began to roughly kiss her, stealing the breath from her lungs.

When he stopped he closed any gaps in between them and pulled the covers over their bodies to hide their lovemaking from the moon and stars that looked on. It was then decided, that on this night, Sergei completely broke free from his past to become his own person…

As the night rode on, the SPETSNAZ Headquarters was still alive as Aleksander continued his search for Sergei. On normal occasions he wouldn't be so persistent in trying to find targets, but Sergei was different in the fact that he had specifically wronged him in multiple ways. Not only did he have the nerve to turn his back on them, he had taken his subject, Anna, with him.

As he continued to think about him, Aleksander lost his temper and slammed his fist into his desk, scattering papers for what seemed to be the fifth time today. This sudden outburst had become so common that the soldiers that stood around him in silence didn't even flinch in surprise.

The doors to his office opened and in walked a casual Mikhail. He ignored everyone around him as he strolled to the sofa set in the center of Aleksander's office and plopped down. "Hey Aleksander," he greeted sloppily. "You needed me?"

Aleksander narrowed his eyes at the man and whispered fiercely, "Get up Mikhail. I'm not in the mood. Tell me what you know."

Just the same as Aleksander had done, Mikhail glared at him and replied, "Do I have to remind you who the more superior one is, _Boss_?"

Unable to continue to stare at the empty eyes of Mikhail, aleksander turned away and mumbled, "Just tell me if Kliment has reported in yet."

Mikhail smirked, satisfied that he got his way, and replied, "He couldn't find Dragunov anywhere, as expected."

Aleksander propped his chin on his interlocked fingers as he thought on. Sergei was smart, that was for sure, which was what made him such a difficult person to track down. In the small portion of time from when he was last spotted at that area to the time Kliment arrived, where could he have gone?

As if reading his mind, Mikhail whispered, "Dragunov's still there."

All eyes turned to the soldier as he stared out into the empty space before him. "He knows you expect him to leave so he's waiting until you move on before he makes his move…Who knows? He might still be at that little hotel, making love to his little lady at this very moment." He added the last part with a raise of the eyebrows.

Aleksander widened his eyes at the realization and quickly turned to Markov who stood on his left. "Contact Kliment and tell him to look over the hotel once again."

Sergei's former lieutenant looked to the floor but nonetheless reluctantly nodded before he headed off. However, before he could leave the room, Mikhail gripped his shoulder and said, "Hold up boy. I have some personal instructions I want to tell Kliment myself."

Aleksander watched the two men walk off, unconcerned about what Mikhail wanted to tell the rash soldier. All he was concerned of at the moment was getting Sergei back. He was too valuable to lose. Not only for his superior fighting skills either. He had inside intelligence on what has transpired within these walls. If anything were to leak out to the public, it would take only a matter of time before rumors begin to spread around the world, putting Russia as a target for suspicion. SPETSNAZ, in order to continue their underground work, didn't need that kind of attention. He sighed and looked out the frosted window. As soon as Sergei was returned, Aleksander was going to make sure that he creates a way to completely erase a man of his emotions. More specifically, the feeling of love.

As Kliment walked the streets of Russia, the snow began to pile on his back and he began to pull his overcoat tighter around himself. He wasn't prepared to head back to headquarters and face Aleksander. In all honesty he detested the man, but he had promised him that he would bring Sergei back. He wasn't one to break promises.

He hadn't left the premise of the hotel in the hopes that maybe Sergei had forgotten something and would return. However, there have been no signs of him whatsoever. Perhaps he had no choice but to return empty-handed. Just as he thought this, his cellphone rang and as he answered, he heard a gruff voice on the other end greet him.

"Kliment, are you there?"

Kliment had known that mocking voice for far too long and immediately flinched. When Mikhail was put in charge of contacting you, signs of good things to happen vanished completely. "What do you want?" He responded, an irritated tone in his voice.

He heard laughter break out on the other end before the man continued to speak. "What's the matter with you?" Kliment tried to ignore him as he continued to laugh. "I guess I'd be mad too, if I lost the subject when he was _right under your nose._"

"What are you talking about?"

There was a slight pause before Markov's gentle voice came on. His voice held hesitancy as he gave the orders. "We believe Sergei is still in the hotel. Aleksader wants you to examine every room and if you should find him…"

"Shoot the girl, but make sure Dragunov remains untouched." It was Mikhail who finished off the commands.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Author's Notes: Alright, here's Chapter 11! In this chapter I'm bringing the action back! Sorry romance fans, no more mushy gushy. (Okay, maybe I'll squeeze in a few love lines here and there…) Anyways, thanks for all of you guys who put my story on your Favorites, Alert, or Reviewed. It means a lot to me knowing that someone's reading the story I've been working so hard on. I appreciate it a ton! I'll try to keep you guys satisfied with daily updates and try to improve my writing skills each time I write. Thanks guys! (And gals!)**

The radio clicked off before Kliment had a chance to say anything else. He stared at the object astounded at what he had heard. Kill a woman? Sure he had deliberately shot out their supposed hotel room, but that was only after he was sure no one was in there. As he stood there in the snow, he had to make a decision: Follow the orders or become like Sergei? He sighed and saw that he had no other choice. He would obey…

He headed back towards the direction of the hotel, his mind set on what he had to do.

An hour had gone by after their love making and Anna had drifted off to sleep, her arms wrapped tightly around Sergei while he, on the other hand, had a simple arm drooped over her. He had to admit he enjoyed their little love session and even hoped in the back of his mind that there would be more of those to come. However, as he thought about it, there was more than just her body that he liked. He enjoyed the companionship she gave him. It was something he had been devoid of for years.

Without realizing it, he soon found himself pulling her closer to him so both of their nude bodies were pressed against one another. With not even a millimeter separating them, he stared at the sleeping beauty beside him and wondered what it must be like, to go to sleep every night with a woman he cared for and waking up next to her. Nothing to worry about, not a single care in the world… What he would give to live a life like that.

As he continued to embrace her, his eyelids began growing heavy and just as Anna had done, he began drifting to sleep.

Just moments after Sergei had entered the dream world, the bedroom door opened, allowing the light from the hallway to flood in. Treading lightly to avoid waking the couple, Kliment stood at the foot of their bed gripping a pistol in his sweaty palms. He had searched every room of the hotel, kicking down doors and arousing fearful civilians until at last, he found who he was looking for.

He looked down at them, both of whom were sleeping peacefully. Although he had a mission to do, he couldn't help but stare at Sergei Dragunov. For all the years he had known Sergei, he had never known the man to look so peaceful. Yet here he was, sleeping like he was a…human…Suddenly all the hatred and jealousy he held towards the former commander were erased. Then just the way they held one another as they slept, he couldn't help but think that they resembled himself and his own wife. It almost made him reconsider pointing his pistol at Anna's lovely face.

Even in the midst of his sleep, Sergei could feel someone's presence hovering over him, watching him. This feeling forced him from his sleep and as he opened his eyes, it didn't take long for him to realize that his sixth sense was right. Quickly he took in the current predicament and definitely took note of the gun aimed at Anna.

Before anyone else had the chance to react, Sergei took her in his arms and quickly rolled off the bed just before the pistol was fired, leaving a bullet where Anna's head had been seconds before. Panting, Sergei looked down at Anna and realized she was still asleep! Even the sound of the gun failed to arouse her. Gently he placed her to the floor before rising to his full height to face their intruder.

Kliment looked his former superior up and down before painstakingly whispering, "I mistook you for all these years, Commander Dragunov…Here I was thinking you were nothing but a mindless machine only to come to realize that you're no different from me. You don't know how hard you make it, to follow these orders…"

Slowly he pulled the gun up and aimed it straight at Sergei's chest. "Hand over the woman, Dragunov." Sergei remained unflinching as he stood his ground. His silent pose intimidated the soldier even though he was the one to be holding the gun. Refusing to show any fear, Kliment fired a second bullet which flew straight past Sergei's head, wedging itself to the closet behind him. "I'm not playing around Sergei! Now—"

In a blink of an eye, Sergei had already received the man's firing arm and was twisting it upside down, almost to its breaking point. In this position, Kliment looked up at Sergei who was currently looking down at him. Sergei's eyes glared down at him, but those eyes, Kliment realized were unlike the eyes he was accustomed to seeing on his face. They were still menacing, but they were also full. Full of life maybe, Kliment couldn't tell.

Just as he was sure his arm was going to be detached from the elbow down, Sergei slowly began to release his grip, but not without first taking the gun from his hand. "I've given you your chance," Sergei whispered, his voice deep and dark, "Spare yourself and leave. Don't ever allow yourself within my sight again."

As Kliment was returned use of his right arm, he looked to the floor, an exhausted look on his face. "That, I can't do Sergei. Orders are orders." Just as he said that, he reached into his boot to retrieve his knife. He made an attempt to strike at Sergei, but as expected, Sergei caught it just before it was able to sink into the flesh of his arm.

Mercilessly, Dragunov delivered a knee to the man's face, breaking his nose and then turning him around, pulling his left arm around his back. However, rather than snap the arm, he instead decided to target the fingers, snapping the forefinger all the way back and then the middle.

Kliment let out a cry as he felt his two fingers break and he was also prepared to hear a third snap as he felt Sergei grab ahold of another one of his fingers, his ring finger.

Sergei prepared to dislocate the digit until he felt something cold and metallic around it. Looking down, he saw that it was Kliment's wedding ring. Although it was a simple gold band, it symbolized the everlasting bond between two people. Clenching his fist out of frustration, he dropped the man's arm, sparing his hand from any more pain.

He watched as the man cradled his wounded hand then said calmly, "Go home to her…"

Kliment's eyes widened upon hearing his words, but slowly, he turned his lips upwards into a small, gentle smile. He gripped his ring finger and whispered, "You've really changed…Commander…"

As Sergei was tucking Anna back in bed, Kliment rose to his feet and picked up the discarded pistol in the corner, causing Sergei to glance at him from the corner of his eye. However, no threat was made from him and soon he was standing right beside his former commander. He extended the gun out to him and whispered, "You'll need this, Sergei. Aleksander won't stop searching for you until he's dead."

Sergei stared long and hard at the item given to him then glanced back up at the face that handed it to him. Kliment smirked when he spotted a hint of confusion on the man's face. "You're truly confused, aren't you, Sergei? Well let's get this straight: When I was first assigned this mission, I took it up willingly, maybe even ecstatically, because I thought I would be surpassing the man who had insulted and degraded me many years ago. However, my mission soon changed into something else. I was told by Mikhail to kill that woman." He nodded towards Anna's sleeping body. "Even though it was against my morals, a promise is a promise and if not for you…Who knows? I might've ended up as you were. A cold, mindless killer…"

He felt Sergei's glare on him sharpen, but nonetheless he continued speaking. "And now when I've finally found you, I find out that you're no longer the man I was seeking for revenge. Because that Sergei would've killed me the moment I stepped into this room. To sum it all up, the Sergei Dragunov I was assigned to hunt down isn't here, and he never was."

He slipped the pistol into Sergei's hand and gave a nod. "I'll be taking your advice now. I'm sure my wife is worried about me anyhow." Taking one last look at the two lovers, Kliment placed a friendly hand on Sergei's shoulder. "I hope we can meet again and speak like friends, Commander." With that, Kliment walked out of the room, leaving behind a Sergei who was more confused than ever. Kliment, who just had two fingers broken from him, considered him a friend?

As Kliment exited the room, he could've sworn he heard his radio emit a noise. Taking it out of his pocket he stared at it but saw that it was off. Shaking his head, he tucked it back into his pocket. It must've just been his imagination…

Nine hours passed and Anna finally awoke feeling revitalized and alive. She was oblivious to last night's events as she had slept peacefully through all of it. Turning over, expecting to find Sergei still sleeping beside her, she found that he was already dressed and prepared to leave. "What's gotten you up so early?"

He didn't answer her as he remained motionless staring out at the city below through the blinds. Slipping out of bed she joined him by his side and peered out with him. What she saw made her bring a hand to her mouth. "It looks like your friends are here, Sergei." There were around seven soldiers standing out on the street looking up at their room. Casually Anna walked back and began picking up some new clothes to slip into. "I guess I should make myself presentable for our guests, shouldn't I?" She said that in a jokingly manner which almost made Sergei smile.

He had not spoken a word to her about their current predicament yet she seemed to know all about it. It was nice to have a woman as intelligent as her around. He turned around and helped her slip on her chosen outfit which in this case happened to be a black halter dress that barely reached her mid-thighs. After the dress was on, he began running his fingers down her hair to clear it of any knots then planted her cheek with a kiss. Anna wiggled her way into his arms and whispered, "I'll never get used to that, Sergei."

Sergei took a step back from their embrace and grabbed one of her hands. He slipped Kliment's gun into it and looked to her face, hoping she would understand the meaning behind it. Just as he had hoped, he received the correct reply from her. "Where should we meet up?"

He leaned into her and whispered into her ear, almost tickling her with his breath. He gave her specific directions and when he was finished doing so, Anna gave him a wet kiss to the lips and replied, "Be careful." Picking up the duffel bag Sergei had prepared when he woke, she blew him another kiss and exited the room, taking the specific passage Sergei had told her.

She took a right when she left the room and headed deeper into the hotel than towards the exit. She looked for the room Sergei had told her of, keeping track of the numbers that she ran by but soon came to realize that she had no need to do so. She came upon a room with its doorknob broken off and the door itself hanging wide open. She let out a sigh. The poor hotel manager would have so much to replace and repair by the end of all this.

She entered the room and took a look out the window to the ground below. Pillows littered the alleyway underneath her and a ladder, possibly leading up to the roof, was on her right. Taking the duffel bag, she tossed it out onto one of the pillows and later set herself on the ledge, her long legs dangling over the ground below. Maneuvering herself to the right, she gripped the ladder and very carefully moved onto it, taking caution that her heels weren't getting caught on the rungs as she descended.

Just as she was making her way downwards, she heard the ladder begin to creak. Looking up, she saw that one of the rusted screws that were connecting the ladder to the building was going loose. She turned to the other side of the ladder and couldn't help but let out a groan. The screw on that side had already fallen off! Before she could take another step downward, the ladder broke off from the wall, sending itself and Anna downward to the concrete flooring.

"Ow…"Anna mumbled while rubbing her rear. She had fortunately managed to land without breaking anything and after cleaning herself off she grabbed the duffel bag and ran off. Hopefully, she didn't make too much of a racket with that fall.

Back in the hotel room, Sergei's eye flinched. What had Anna done to make such a noise? He was tempted to go check on her, but decided against it when he heard one of the soldiers call out to him. "We know you're in there Sergei Dragunov. Come out!"

Sergei continued to look down at them, wondering how they had discovered his hideout. Had Kliment told them? It wouldn't make sense if he did. After all, last night he could've just killed the both of them and claimed all the glory. Sergei shook the idea away. It didn't matter anyhow.

Just as he was prepared to head down and face them, a familiar voice was heard from outside. "Sergei," it called, "either you're coming down or we're going up! You decide." It was Aleksander without a doubt. It struck him odd that Aleksander would come all this way just to capture him. Through all the years he had known the man, he couldn't recall a time when he ever exited that building of his. He didn't understand what made him so much more important than everyone else who had been targeted.

Seeing as how Sergei wasn't going to come down yet, Aleksander decided that now was the time to use his trump card. Motioning to two of his soldiers, he whispered, "Bring him out." They nodded and scurried off. As they were following commands, Aleksander switched his gaze back up towards Sergei's room and with a smug look on his face called, "We have someone you might want to see, Sergei. You better hurry and see them because I think they're on their last breath."

Sergei felt his heart skip a beat. Had they captured Anna? Through the blinds he saw the two soldiers return dragging a man between them. Narrowing his eyes, he realized that the man was Kliment. "Do you see this Sergei?" Aleksander called again. "Are you going to—"

Before he could let another word escape his lips, the window shattered and Sergei had jumped out, landing before the seven men. Some of the soldiers stepped back in surprise while others raised their guns, prepared to shoot. Aleksander however, raised his arm causing the gunmen to return to their defensive position. "We're giving you one last chance, Sergei," he spoke calmly, "Return to us and we'll let everything you've done slide."

His words fell on deaf ears as Sergei continued to stare at Kliment. One of his eyes was swollen shut, his face, hardly recognizable through all the bludgeons it received. And his body was battered, bloodied, and bruised all about. So much so that he couldn't even support himself under his own weight. "Sergei…" He heard Kliment whisper, "I'm sorry…"

Aleksander heard the voice just as Sergei had and walked towards the nearly lifeless man. He pulled from his coat a pistol and pressed it against his back. "That's enough out of you, traitor." Before anyone could react, he pulled the trigger.

Sergei widened his eyes and he felt himself tremble. Whether it was from rage or sorrow, he couldn't decide. He stared at Kliment's body, lying face first on the concrete and let his eyes travel to his left hand that was outstretched before him. He took in the sight of the broken fingers and the wedding ring.

Slowly he shifted his gaze to Aleksander who stood before the fallen body, a guiltless expression written on his face. He clenched his fist as the rage within him built up until finally it exploded. "I will kill you!" Sergei called out as he rashly charged towards his former superior…


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Author's Notes: Okay, so here's Chapter 12! Sorry to keep all you guys waiting, but it's almost the end of the Quarter so of course every teacher has to pile up essays, projects, and reports all at the same time to make my life difficult. But aside from my personal life I must tell you that I feel as if this chapter was extremely rushed…Not to mention that I think I'm starting to lose touch of Anna's personality here. If I have time, I'll be redoing this chapter, but for now, enjoy!**

"Sergei!" Anna's voice was the last thing he heard before the sound of a gun pierced the air. Suddenly he felt an excruciating pain enter from his left shoulder and although he didn't feel it as much, he guessed that a bullet had hit him in the leg as well for he was on his stomach before he had time to realize what was happening.

There were also countless pains throughout his body, making his body scream in agony as he felt her were on fire.

"Sergei!" Again he heard her and very weakly he turned his head to the direction of her voice and spotted her standing at the entrance to a nearby alleyway. Her face wore a worried expression that he came to realize didn't suit her. It was strange, that even now as he lay here helpless with seven guns aimed at him, he was still thinking of her.

Aleksander, enraged by Sergei's attempt on his life, brutally stepped on his head, "How dare you talk to me like that, you cur!" His stomping continued, but his attempt to injure Sergei any further was futile as he didn't even seem to flinch beneath the strength of his stomps. Eventually Aleksander came to a slow stop as his stomping only seemed to put him in humility and realized that Sergei's eyes were set on something behind them. Following his eyes, he eventually found himself looking at Anna who stood a few meters away. She was far enough to make an escape and with Sergei currently in SPETSNAZ's captivity, Aleksander probably wouldn't even care at the moment fi she decided to do so.

As Anna had watched Sergei collapse to the floor after being shot by at least five bullets, she felt herself go pale in the face and suddenly she felt an undying sense of protection that she had never felt for anyone but her own sister. To stop Sergei's pain and agony, that was what she wanted to do. Suddenly that desire took over and soon she found herself making her way towards the group of armed men, her mind forgetting all about the possible danger that awaited her.

As she was midway between her former position and the men, she suddenly stopped in her tracks as Sergei's glare became cold and sharp. "Don't come any closer," were what his eyes told her. She still had a chance to turn around and run off and part of her still wanted to do that. Here she had money to last her a month and two bags of clothes that other women would kill for. What more could she possibly want?

She gave a little smile, almost laughing at herself for trying to fool herself like this. No matter how much she could convince herself that these things were the only things she needed, the true answer to her question, the thing she always wanted, always popped into her head. The thing she had been seeking for was companionship. After all, it was this need that led her to become cryogenically frozen. That plan failed of course after her sister suffered amnesia and later wanted nothing to do with her, but she eventually met him, Sergei Dragunov who had become a friend…

She looked back into his icy stare and gave him an eye smile. "Don't worry, sweetie," was what she wanted to tell him. "I have it covered."

With her eye smile vanishing, her face eventually transformed so that it read "innocent" all over. This was a look Sergei was all too familiar with. He watched as she sexily approached the older man, Aleksander, and as she did so, the seven men immediately turned their attention towards her, aiming their guns at her in the process.

It was Sergei who became frightened for her, and let out a grunt of pain as he tried to move and protect her. However, she didn't find anything to worry about as she didn't even budge or flinch. Rather, she continued in an innocent, sweet voice, "It's been a while now hasn't it, Mr. Aleksander…?"

A guard had stepped in Sergei's line of view so could no longer see what was happening. However, he heard every single word she spoke and although it was the wrong time, he began to feel what he believed to be jealousy. How dare she use that teasing voice for_ him_ of all people? That voice was meant only for his ears alone.

As Sergei was busy getting angry over irrelevant subjects, Aleksander had turned his full attention to the lady and smirked. "I don't suppose you plan to sweet talk your way out of this do you? Because if you must know, you've caused me so much trouble, I'd be fine with shooting you down dead right now."

The innocent look Anna displayed vanished as her eyes shone deviously. "Oh, is that so…?" She said in a low whisper. Before anyone could act, she pulled the pistol Sergei had given her before their brief departure and swung around so that she stood behind Aleksander, using him a shield from his men. "Put the guns down," she demanded in a calm, cool voice, "Or your superior here will get a bullet himself."

With her slender form, the men weren't able to see her from behind their leader, so as asked they lowered their guns and stepped back. They knew it was what Aleksander would have ordered anyhow. "Good boy," she said smoothly. She spotted Sergei and saw how much blood he was losing as he lay there. However, with the current circumstances, she didn't know what else to do to help. All she had managed to do was get close.

As Anna was running through her mind all the possible choices she could take, Aleksander was becoming impatient with her. "What are you planning to do, woman?" He grumbled through clenched teeth.

She didn't answer letting the silence take them over once again. However, within this silence, they were able to hear a low rumble, like a propeller, in the distant. Fear immediately struck Sergei as he predicted that Mikhail had arrived. If that were the case, he would heartlessly kill Anna if he wanted.

Anna heard the noise as well, but found that no matter where she should move, her back would be to a soldier or she would be getting farther from Sergei.

Eventually the helicopter came into view and Sergei's heart began pounding rapidly as he spotted who it belonged to. It wasn't SPETSNAZ's, no. Rather it was someone far worse than Sergei predicted. The Mishima Zaibatsu had arrived and their soldiers were armed and ready to kill.

The SPETSNAZ military began firing at the intruders, breaking out chaos. At the first bullets fired, Anna covered her ears as Aleksander ran off to join his crew. "What the hell is this," he yelled while taking cover behind a car.

As the bullets continued to go back and forth, Sergei, with all the strength he can muster, dove towards Anna, pushing her out of the rain of bullets.

"Sergei!" She gasped as she found herself lying on the opposite side of the street from Aleksander, Sergei on top of her. She sat up as his body fell to her lap. "Sergei!" She began shaking him but he didn't seem to respond. Deftly she searched for a pulse and let out a sigh of relief as she realized he had probably blacked out after losing so much blood. Throwing his arm over her shoulder, she began making her way towards one of the buildings to get some cover while also allowing her a place to quickly stop his bleeding.

As soldier after soldier fell to the Mishima Zaibatsu, the helicopter eventually made its descent to the ground as the armed men began piling out of it. At last when they had all exited, they made way for their leader as he began his descent down the helicopter. He was donned in a black leather trench coat and his hair, equally as dark as his coat, was spiked back. Without a doubt, it was the renowned, infamous Jin Kazama, current leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

He was a familiar face even in Russia, as it became rumored that he was the cause behind internal problems that the civilians and government faced. Sergei had been ordered by the Russian Military to handle those situations more often than not and recognized the young man to be a burden, an insect that had to be rid of from this world.

Jin Kazama, followed by a blonde assistant, walked out and stared at the deserted and empty streets that surrounded him and his crew. Clearly to avoid the attention, Aleksander had evacuated this part of the city and blockaded it off. It was without a doubt that whatever SPETSNAZ ordered, you would obey. They were after all, one part of Russia's defense team.

As Jin was surveying the area, Anna, unable to carry Sergei that far of a distance had no choice but to place him down, hoping that she has yet to be noticed by any of the new arrivals. As she turned her eyes back towards the men she gasped. It wasn't the lifeless bodies of the SPETSNAZ soldiers that alarmed her, but rather, it was the beautiful blonde woman that stole her gaze.

Forgetting all about Sergei, Anna clenched her fist whispered, "Nina..." Before she could think of the consequences, Anna charged towards the woman, lunging at her and pinning her down by the arms.

The action was so quick no one was able to take in what had just happened as they stared at the two women.

Nina looked at the face of her attacker and narrowed her eyes in disgust. "You again," she whispered through clenched teeth. She kicked Anna off and sent her landing on her rear a few feet back.

As Anna stood up, prepared to return the attack, she found herself surrounded by machine guns, all of them pointed towards her. Glaring at the woman she made an attempt to push past them but was seized in the back by a strong hand. Turning around, she came face-to-face with Jin Kazama.

Looking into his eyes, Anna was reminded of Sergei's eyes that fateful day when they first met. Just like this young man's, his eyes were once as empty and cold. "Who are you," she heard him ask.

Just as she was about to answer, she heard Nina's high heels click against the pavement. Peering over her shoulder, she found the woman heading back into the helicopter, walking off on her little sister once again. Anna wouldn't have it. Yanking herself from Jin's grip, she pushed past all the soldiers and chased after her.

Just as she was within her reach, Nina turned around and in her hand was a pistol that she held towards Anna's forehead. "Leave me alone."

Anna froze. Her own sister was now holding a gun against her…This was what she had slept twenty long years waiting for? Was she truly so alone that this was the best thing she had for a friend? The realization she was facing almost brought tears to her eyes as she cast her face downwards to avoid the expression on Nina's face.

In time she heard the gun retreat back to the hoister and later Nina descending deeper into the helicopter. Seeing that Anna wasn't going to be a threat, Jin began to follow after Nina. "We're finished here," he told his soldiers in his empty voice.

As if she weren't even there, Jin and his soldiers entered the helicopter, walking around Anna as if she were a mere obstacle. Once all of them were in, the helicopter took off, leaving Anna alone in a deserted street littered with fallen soldiers.

Wiping the tiny drops of tears that had managed to force themselves from her eyes, Anna spotted Sergei's body lying on the cold sidewalk where she had left him and with a smile on her face, she made her way towards him and leaned down beside him. After laying a cold kiss to his lips, Anna whispered, "I'm glad I met you, sweetie…"

Seeing how much of a bloody mess he had become, Anna wasn't sure he would be able to make it until noon. Refusing to let him die, she removed his shirt and began performing the best healing techniques she had to offer.

She found he had one bullet entering in from his back, one through the back of his knee and three bullets attacking him from the sides. She did her best to cut off circulation with his discarded shirt, but with her lack of equipment, that was the most she could accomplish. Now all hope was lost. As soon as Sergei was gone from this world, she would be left in a world where everyone she knew was gone.

Just as she had reached her point of frustration, she bit her lip and almost felt herself lose control as the tears began building up behind her eyes. "Please don't leave me…" She mumbled as she rubbed her face against Sergei's chest.

Suddenly she felt a hand rest itself on her back and, thinking it was Sergei, quickly sat up and looked down at him. His eyes were still shut and both his arms were still down by his sides, just as she had left them. Realizing that it couldn't have been him, she turned around and found herself looking into the face of a handsome man.

He had sparkling brown eyes and sandy blonde hair spiked in hazardous directions. He wore a red uniform with a lion plate across his chest. The man knelt down beside her and with his arm now going around her shoulders, comforting her he asked in a deep, cool voice, "Are you alright?"

Anna didn't even have a chance to respond before the man pulled out his cellphone and said in a gentle yet demanding voice, "Tougo, we have injured. Hurry, send in the medics."

The man on the other end, Tougo, seemed to have said something as Anna watched the blonde nod and reply, "No, we must have missed him."

There were a few more nods and soon the phone was tucked back into his pocket as he extended a hand out to Anna. Once she took it, the man gingerly curled his fingers around hers and said, "My name is Lars Alexandersson. I promise you'll be safe with me."

**Author's Notes: Dun-dun-dunnn! Did you guys expect Jin, Nina, **_**and**_** Lars to make an appearance? Um so I don't really know what Jin's "plan" is and all concerning the Mishima Zaibatsu so I'm going to be switching it up here and there to work to my liking. (I'm sorry Jin fans!) And also, I think that Lars is the absolute coolest character ever so if I make him seem overly cool, feel free to tell me. **

**Anyways join me in the next chapter to see if Sergei ends up getting replaced with Lars!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

A black van pulled into the area and a man dressed in the same uniform as Lars stepped out. He spotted his leader kneeling beside a brunette and went over to join them. "Sir," he saluted, "The medics have arrived."

Lars, while still looking down at Sergei, whispered, "He may not make it in time. Tougo, I'll need you to transport him to our current headquarters immediately."

Asking no questions, the Japanese man nodded and together, both he and Lars loaded Sergei into the van while the other two medics checked the lifeless bodies of the SPETSNAZ military. Seeing as how they were already long deceased, they decided it was best to leave them and let their own group take care of the bodies.

Once they secured Sergei's body to a seat, Lars shut the door and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Have a nice drive, Tougo."

Just as Tougo was about to enter the car, Anna, who hadn't spoken since Lars' arrival, spoke up. "Wait a minute," she called to Tougo, her haughty tone returning, "I'm going with you."

Lars looked at her and frowned. He needed to learn about the happenings concerning Jin and needed some headway. With her friend's injuries, he doubted he would have another time to speak with her. Not only that but he didn't necessarily want her in the way of the medics' work. "Actually," he said gently, "I'd prefer it if you ride with me in my car."

Anna raised a slender eyebrow. "You're not hitting on me, are you handsome?"

Lars gave a gentle smile in return. "I'd be a fool if I were. After all, I don't seem to want to get on your friend's bad side, now would I?"

She smiled. "No, I guess not. But still, I have to be there for him if he happens to die. At least that way," she began to mutter to herself, "I can apologize." Without saying anymore, she headed into the black van while Lars looked on.

Tougo looked at Lars and whispered, "Should I…?"

"Just go on, Tougo. I'll find another time to speak with her." Lars approved as he began walking off to his own car.

When they left, leaving the streets deserted, Aleksander stepped out of his hiding place and looked at the mess that had once been a decent part of the city. He looked at the ruined body of his own soldiers and snarled. With all his frustration, he kicked the nearest body and yelled, "You idiots! We had Sergei in our grasp and you failed!"

As Tougo drove on down the road, the medics were busily working on Sergei in the back. Within the short time span, they had managed to remove the bullets and were at the moment stitching him up. Anna watched from the side and began to realize that SPETSNAZ had never really wanted to kill him at all. His injuries were indeed severe, but that was only because of the many bullets he had received. They had shot him in areas that were quick to heal. If they had truly wanted to kill him, then she was positive at least one soldier would have a decent enough aim to go for the head even if he were running. Aleksander really didn't want to lose his war machine, did he?

As Sergei was getting stitched up, his mind was wandering in a dreamworld.

He was entering his home after a long day's work. His living room was different than it was in reality. In this room family pictures lined the walls. As he stared at a picture that hung over the mantle, a beautiful figure stepped out of the kitchen and it was his wife. Behind her was a little boy, his son.

"Nikolai," his wife said, "Look, Daddy's home."

The young boy looked up to see Sergei and almost immediately he came running to wrap his arms around his father's legs.

Sergei picked the child up in one swoop and walked over to his wife who greeted him with a sweet kiss to the lips. "Welcome home, dear," she said. "I missed you."

With his son still latching onto him, Sergei pulled his wife into an embrace and smiled. He was happy…

However, as the hug continued, he suddenly felt his family's cling to him weaken. As he pulled away, both his wife and child collapsed to the floor, becoming cold lifeless corpses. He stepped back in shock and just as he did so, the lovely room was contorted and twisted until it became a cold drab building he recognized as the interior of the SPETSNAZ headquarters.

He, along with his family's corpses, stood alone in this place until suddenly he heard footsteps begin approaching him. Turning around, he discovered it was Aleksander and Mikhail, both of them wearing a smug look on their faces.

"What, Sergei? You actually think you can live a happy life like this?" Aleksander started. "Don't delude yourself. Deep down you're just a machine, a cold-blooded, heartless creature who has never looked at another person and felt any true feelings towards them. Because you know, just like the rest of us, a person's never done any good for you."

"Yeah, Dragunov," Mikhail said with a disgusting smirk on his face. "Even if you were to ever fall in love, how long would you be able to stay with that person? As soon as you die, you guys will never see each other again. You might as well get use to me. After all, we're both destined for hell."

The scenery transformed once again and this time Sergei found himself surrounded by fire. He stepped back to avoid some flames and soon felt a scorching, unbearable pain come from his back. Looking down at his stomach, he found that a spike had impaled him from behind.

"Sergei…" He heard a familiar voice call his name. Turning toward the voice he found it was Anna. She was standing in a field of flames, weakened and dripping blood. Before Sergei could comprehend what had happened, her body caught on fire, emitting a scream from her.

"Anna…" He opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar room surrounded by people equally familiar. He was attached to all sorts of tubes and suctions and he was beginning to think that he was back in SPETSNAZ until he spotted Anna amidst all the faces.

"Well look who's awake," she teased, running a finger along his jawline.

He gently reached for her hand to reassure himself that she was real. The warmth it admitted was no lie. It was all just a dream he had.

The medics around him gave a sigh of relief and stepped back. "Thank goodness," one of them muttered. "One of you, go inform Commander Lars about this." A young female medic gave a nod and exited the room, scurrying to find Lars. Once she was gone, the other doctors began to slowly leave the room as well, allowing Anna some alone time with Sergei.

Once she was sure they weren't going to be interrupted, Anna plopped down into a seat at his bedside and pinched his cold cheek. "You're such a reckless idiot, aren't you?" Sergei passed her a confused glance as she smiled. "You go through all this trouble just for my sake…How am I expected to leave you if you keep doing this?"

She was back to teasing him which made his insides warm up. He squeezed her hand even harder than before and wanted to ask her so many questions, but as usual, he didn't feel like speaking. He would prefer to enjoy her presence now than receive answers on what had just recently occurred.

Anna leaned her body over his and gave him a wet kiss to the lips. Sergei wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. When she pulled away, she whispered into his ear, "When you get better, I promise I'll reward you."

Their sweet moment was interrupted by the sandy blonde who stood at the entrance, clearing his throat. "Ahem," he began, "I'm sorry to ruin such a moment, but I have some questions to ask if you wouldn't mind."

Without either of them answering, Lars let himself in and planted himself at the chair down by the foot of the bed. "I'm sure you both are wondering where you are so I'll be brief. You're in the current headquarters of Yggdrasil, a rebel force against the Mishima Zaibatsu. And I, Lars Alexandersson, am the leader." He paused and studied both of their faces, hoping they knew what he wanted out of them. "With Jin running amuck and causing chaos like he is, it's our duty to subdue him and create… 'peace'."

"And," Anna started, "you want to know if we know anything about him?"

"Not specifically _him _in general, but rather why he attacked and if possible, any leeway on where he's headed next."

Anna turned to Sergei as he stared at Lars. Slowly he opened his mouth and began speaking in his deep tone, "I know nothing of Jin Kazuma other than that he attacked SPETSNAZ for his own purpose of eliminating any obstacles."

"SPETSNAZ…?" Lars repeated.

"They've been interfering with Jin's plans since he took over the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"Is that so? However, it seemed odd to find all of them dead if they expected Jin to attack. After all, didn't they blockade that part of the city to prevent any civilians from getting hurt?"

Sergei narrowed his eyes. "Aleksander doesn't do things for the sake of the people. He blockaded that part of the city to prevent SPETSNAZ's image from being sullied when he attempted to capture the two of us."

Confused now, Lars passed the two of them a perturbed look and asked, "Capture you two?"

Although it was odd for Sergei to be so…open with another human being, Lars held a sort of air that Sergei seemed to trust. Despite being not much older or younger than him, the Swede had managed to persuade the hearts of hundreds to join his rebellion against an entire organization through sheer charisma. Perhaps it was that charisma that led to this trust or perhaps it was the fact that Sergei was desperate, but either way, Sergei began to explain his current predicament to Lars, shocking Anna with his directness.

Aleksander arrived back at SPETSNAZ headquarters after he called for reinforcements to come pick him up and clear up the bodies. The only thing he was grateful for during this event was that although Jin had killed his entire regime, the attack set up an excuse as to why the city had been evacuated. They wanted to protect them from the Mishima Zaibatsu, is what the civilians would think.

He entered his office where he found his big chair being occupied by an all too familiar man. He let out a sigh and settled down on his sofa meant usually for guests. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Mikhail and his problems just yet. Not after his disappointing ordeal at least.

The two sat in silence until at last, Mikhail's gruff voice mockingly asked, "So how did it go? Came back empty-handed I see."

"Enough Mikhail. I'm not in the mood." Aleksander replied tiredly.

Mikhail rose from his seat and made his way over to the aged man. Hovering over him he smirked. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…You sure do fail a lot. You had an entire regime with you and you still failed to catch one man."

At this comment, Aleksander's blood began to boil. "And what would you have done when Kazuma's soldiers came storming in to kill us all?"

"You played with him for too long, Aleksander," Mikhail continued. "You shouldn't have killed Kliment…That would've spared you a few seconds."

"As if you're one to talk about 'not playing' with the enemy." Aleksander retorted.

As if he had never heard him, Mikhail continued speaking. "I believe you're getting a little too old for this position, Aleksander. Maybe it's about that time where you consider getting replaced."

The older man looked up at his soldier. "What are you talking about?" He watched as Mikhail began to pull out a gun from its holster, causing him to begin to panic. Rising to his feet he took a few steps back. "W-What are you doing Mikhail?"

"The guys and I have been talking about it and we think it's time a change takes place." He aimed the pistol at Aleksander's forehead. "But they did think that we should give you a fair chance before you get replaced." Aleksander remained silent as Mikhail began to explain. "You see, this pistol holds up to six bullets, but only one is in. You get the idea, right? Well, I'll fire it three times and we'll see how lucky you are."

"Mikhail, I'm warning you, don't do this! I'll give you what you want."

Mikhail smiled. "So you'll just shoot yourself for me? That wouldn't be fun."Aleksander's face froze. What had brought upon this change in him? "Now," Mikhail began, "let's begin." Without warning, he pulled the trigger. Nothing. "So far so good," he commented. "How 'bout the second time?"

Aleksander turned his eyes to the red button just to his left which in turn caught Mikhail's attention. "Oh? You wanna' press this button? Here, I'll help you." Just as he said, the soldier clicked the button, making the phone in his pocket ring. "Did you forget, _Boss, _that the button locates only to my phone?" Seeing his superior's face pale made him burst out laughing. "See? Now you're even getting Alzheimer's! It really is your time!"

As his laughing slowly died down, he wiped a tear from his eye and resumed his task. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, the second chance. Here goes…" Once again he pulled the trigger and fortunately for Aleksander, it was once again empty.

Mikhail, like a child, pouted and looked into the barrel. "Boy, you're lucky. Well, you know what they say, 'Third time's the charm.'"

"Please don't do this Mikhail," Aleksander begged. "Please, s—"

Ignoring the pleas of his boss, Mikhail pulled the trigger and…BANG!

Aleksander slumped to the floor, dead. Mikhail looked into his pistol, the part which held the ammo, and smirked. "Well lookee here. I had put in four bullets. My bad…Father…" Casually he planted himself back into the big chair and looked out at the snowy streets below. Everything looked so beautiful under this grey, drab sky and the future of SPETSNAZ looked even better…

**Author's Notes: Ta-Dah! And there was Chapter 13! I was contemplating where I should end this chapter since I had some other things I wanted to include, but I thought that Mikhail taking control of SPETSNAZ was a good place to stop. What awaits Sergei now…?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Lars looked over the two in silence, trying to take in all that Sergei had told him. Anna, a cryogenically frozen subject who should be forty, and Sergei, who was formerly a superior in the renowned group SPETSNAZ, was now being hunted down after he chose love over duty…It seemed like some bizarre drama story meant for movies! Lars scratched the back of his head and muttered, "That sure is a lot to take in…" He looked back up at Sergei and added, "You're caught in quite a tight spot, aren't you?"

Sergei didn't respond, already tired of speaking for so long. He stared down at his hand, which he realized was still gripping Anna's.

Seeing the love between them, Lars rose to his feet and with a smile gracing his lips, he said, "But I guess, with her beside you, you don't seem so cornered, huh?"

Both Sergei and Anna turned to face one another, causing Anna to uncharacteristically blush. The Russian's features softened at seeing this "innocent" side of her in return he gave her what seemed to be almost a smile.

"You should start resting up now, Sergei," Lars spoke. "You don't need to worry about anyone attacking you while you're asleep. My soldiers are here to protect you." With that said, he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Making sure that Lars had gone, Anna waited a few seconds before pulling the covers off the soldier's body and laying herself on her side beside him. Instinctively, Sergei made room for the pushy woman and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, snuggling with him in such an open place.

She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered sleepily, "Get some rest, sweetie…"

Soon realizing how tired he actually was, he obliged as he sank down to his pillow. Lars was right. There was no need to worry about SPETSNAZ just yet. His first concern should be about getting better so that he could later take down Aleksander, Mikhail, and anyone else who dared to stand in his path. He would do it himself if it was called for.

He shut his eyes, prepared to descend into the land of sleep until he heard Anna mumble, "I'm sorry…About everything…"

He quickly opened his eyes and peered down at her. She was asleep, pressed up to his side. Sergei smirked. She was much more honest in her sleep than when awake, that was for sure. His mind went back to the night they spent together at the inn. The night when he felt what it was like to live a _normal _life.

He stared up at the white ceiling above and pondered. What did he want to do with his life once Aleksander and SPETSNAZ were off his back? He thought of Alexandersson and the troops he led against the tyrannical Jin. Could Sergei be able to lead SPETSNAZ like that and perhaps atone for all the sins he has committed? Could he bring good to the people closest to him, to his Motherland, or to the extent Lars has taken it: the world? Once again he looked down at the lovely woman lying beside him. It wasn't a feat impossible because here was proof that he could save at least one life…

Lars came to meet his men after leaving Sergei and Anna and found them surrounding the little flat screen sitting on the counter. With them as silent as they were, Lars was able to decipher what they were watching as the news.

"Later this afternoon," he heard the newscaster speak, "the body of Aleksander Barclay, founder of SPETSNAZ, was found dead in his office. At first sight it appeared to be suicide however, with the bullet coming through his forehead, his beloved soldiers believed it had to be murder. His body, found by a lieutenant, was still 'fresh', concluding that the homicide had happened today. There seemed to be no sign of a struggle, leaving authorities to believe the murderer was someone Barclay had trusted. Talking with his son, Mikhail Barclay, he has spoken that only one man would have wanted to kill his father."

Looking over the heads of his soldiers, Lars watched as a picture of Sergei Dragunov appeared on the screen. "Our own beloved hero, Sergei Dragunov, had just about a month ago turned traitor. Up until now, SPETSNAZ had kept this from the public to avoid scaring them…"

As she continued to speak, Tougo, who seemed to know that Lars had joined them, spoke, "Lars…Isn't that the man we carried in…?"

Casually, Lars replied, "It is."

"What," a young lady with dark hair spoke, "So you're saying we're housing a traitor?"

Lars passed her a gentle smile. "Relax Jane. He told me all about his background and I trust him. He did it for good cause and besides," he glanced at the television, "that SPETSNAZ group seems a little suspicious to me." They kept Sergei's betrayal from the public to prevent them from being scared? If they were the responsible leaders of Russia who cared about their people, shouldn't it be their first duty to tell their civilians of such a dangerous man rather than let him run amongst them?

Although it was as plain as day that SPETSNAZ was hiding things from the public, so long as the civilians were caught in the flood, they would be blind to the truth as they were continually fed the lies their supposed heroes told them. Sergei, however, was the strong tree that stood alone in the current, unmoving as he saw all the deceit behind his nation…

Lars turned his attention back to the news. "With his father dead, all control over SPETSNAZ has been given to his son who is a well-trained soldier himself. He is now dedicating his time to finding his father's murderer and is sending SPETSNAZ soldiers to track him down." She finished up her story by showing Sergei's picture to the public once again. "It is our duty to help find Dragunov and bring justice to our late Aleksander Barclay."

The dark-haired soldier, Jane, seemed to be contemplating something when it finally hit her. "Sergei couldn't have done it, could he?" Lars looked down at his soldier and smiled. "Since this morning, he's been with us. And I doubt he could travel from SPETSNAZ headquarters to that blockade without any of the soldiers noticing him, especially since he's wanted."

"But," Tougo interrupted, "he's still a traitor, isn't he? There's still a reason as to why they want him even if he didn't commit a murder."

Lars chuckled. "You're getting swept up in the current, Tougo." His statement caused his crew to look at him, perturbed. Lars ignored their looks and continued to speak. "The only reason why Sergei is deemed a traitor is because he's the strong tree that, although stands alone, remains unmoving despite the oncoming water. Simply put, Sergei Dragunov is thinking beyond the boundaries he's been given…"

Jane and Lars turned to Tougo who still seemed a little perplexed by Lars' poetic speech. The two passed each other a smile. "What Lars is trying to say," Jane insisted, "is that Sergei knows too much."

The crew clicked off the TV and they assembled around the table, considering what to do next. "We can't possibly leave him to fend off all those soldiers, but at the same time we can't go protecting him either." One of the rebels spoke.

"We could let him join us," another offered, "I mean we can use his skills."

"Yes, but we don't want all of Russia hating us when we have the entire Mishima Zaibatsu to worry about."

As they argued back and forth, Lars rose from his seat and told his two subordinates, Tougo and Jane, "I'm going to pass the news onto Sergei. You guys try to handle this."

He headed back down the hall towards the Russian's room and when he peeked in, he found that he was asleep with his lover beside him. Lars let out a sigh before silently shutting the door again. There was no reason to tell him the news just yet. It wasn't as if SPETSNAZ would ever find them now.

Peace may have reigned at Yggdrasil's headquarters, but at SPETSNAZ's base, chaos reigned. The soldiers were in a frenzy over what had happened to their leader. Lower class soldiers were enraged over the traitor Sergei while middle class soldiers disputed over the controversy that this crime held in secrecy. As for the upper class, Lieutenant Markov looked at them in disgust. They knew all about the crime from who the murderer was to why the murder was even committed.

Mikhail, that power-hungry beast, finally had a formidable opponent that could outsmart an entire army and match his level of combat skills. It wasn't enough to just beat him in battle. No, he had to prove his superiority by not only defeating him, but by doing so after he had been broken down. He didn't want an ounce of pride, honor, or confidence left in Sergei when he killed him.

That was how this plan to take over SPETSNAZ came into play. Once Mikhail took over his father's position, he would be in complete control of not only his soldiers, but of Russia and her people. He would turn all those people against Sergei and weaken his spirits through them. His own battalion backed him up in his plan as they were promised good pay while middle class soldiers were forced to turn a blind eye in fear of the devastating man.

Despite Dragunov leaving them, the small remnants of his battalion still looked up to him and refused to accept that he was a traitor. Markov especially idolized the man, but despised Mikhail even more. It was one thing to control people with money and power, but another to control people through their emotions. The citizens looked up to SPETSNAZ to protect them, yet here was Mikhail using that trust he gains from them for his own selfish reasons.

"He's a maniac…" Markov had whispered to an ally as they sat in what was once Sergei's office.

The man he spoke to nodded. "What can we do though? We're only ten people against an entire army."

Markov stared at the empty desk where Sergei once sat. "That never stopped our commander…"

There seemed to be a glint in the young lieutenant's eyes which the other man seemed to notice. He smirked. "What are you thinking?"

Markov, appearing more child-like with his eyes widening, smiled. "We can turn this around, Anton…"

As the two plotted, Mikhail was busily observing security cameras taken from that section of the city Sergei had last been in. After watching the attack SPETSNAZ had made on Sergei and later the attack Jin had made, he finally got to the part he wanted. It was the moment Lars had made his appearance.

"Ah...So you're with the Red Rebel Leader, eh Dragunov? You're making this interesting…"

The next morning, Sergei was greeted with the news of Aleksander's passing away. Lars had gone off that morning with Tougo and a few members of his crew which left only Jane to deliver the news. She was brief and relayed only the necessities. When she had finished, Sergei continued to stare at her with cold, empty eyes, unbelieving the current events. Intimidated by his heartless expression, Jane stepped back from him and turned her eyes to the floor.

"You're lying…" Sergei whispered coldly.

"No sir," she replied calmly. "It was breaking news throughout all of yesterday."

He stared at her, blood boiling. He couldn't believe it. He was the one who was supposed to kill Aleksander…He was supposed to be the one to do it…For Kliment. Sergei clenched his fists until his knuckles paled. "Kliment's death was worth more than that…" He muttered to himself.

He began heading for the door leading to the outside until Jane stepped in his path. "I know what you must be thinking, but you must stop. I know it goes against every fiber of your being but you must not think of killing anyone just yet."

Despite her words, Sergei still insisted on getting past her until a teasing voice said, "She's right, Sergei." Turning around, he found Anna standing behind him, finger waving as she patronized him. "You're in no condition to fight. You'll only get killed."

Her words froze him in his tracks. She walked up to him and put him into an embrace. "Don't let your emotions get in the way," she whispered. "You have to think."

_Think…_Slowly, Sergei began wrapping his arms around her. She was right. Now wasn't time to be so rash, although it was odd for him to behave so to begin with.

Seeing that his mind was back in the area of sanity, Jane let out a sigh and stepped away from the door, moments before it swung open. All eyes turned to the door where they came upon Lars and Tougo. Both men appeared out of breath, as if they had just run a mile, and Lars seemed abnormally worried.

"Lars, what's wrong?" Jane asked nervously.

Ignoring her, he walked straight towards Sergei and said, "We have some guests of yours coming for us." Taking note of his bandaged body, he grimaced then added, "Will you be able to fight?"

Whether he could or not, Sergei nodded, desperate to put his hands on his opponents and hopefully Mikhail.

Lars nodded in return and said solemnly, "You're not alone in this. All of us have your back."

Despite being mere words, they warmed the Russian's heart. He took a look at the faces belonging to Lars, Tougo, and Jane and saw warmth in their eyes as they smiled back at him. Then he turned to the young woman who had stood beside him through all of this. A tiny smile appeared on his lips, albeit for a mere second before choppers belonging to helicopters could be heard outside.

At the sound, Lars began spouting orders. "Gather the others, Jane. Tougo, get the guns." They nodded and rushed off to fulfill their commands.

While they were off, Anna slipped Kliment's pistol into Sergei's hand and whispered, "You might need this."

He slipped the pistol into the holster on the back of his pants just as a rain of bullets began assaulting the metallic roof of the base. "We know you're in there, Sergei Dragunov," a voice spoke through a megaphone. "Come out, you traitor!"

Tougo returned with a set of rifles and machine guns and handed one to each of the two. He looked at Anna oddly and asked, "Are you…?"

Jane, who had just gathered the troops and prepared them for battle, exited the lounge and answered for her. "No. She'll be coming with me." In her hand she carried a sniper, an obvious sign of what she was planning to do. "Are you content with that, Miss," she added innocently.

Anna scoffed. "You don't really give me much of a choice now, do you?" She looked back at Sergei and passed him a wink. "Good luck out there, soldier boy. Don't die."

Sergei nodded and watched as she and the female soldier headed off into another direction. Once they were gone, all the remaining men were led out of the building by Lars, the hero, and Sergei, he who aspired to be one.

Once outside, Sergei took a look up at the sky to see who Mikhail had sent after him. It was only two helicopters and from what he could see, the soldiers were mere middle class fighters. Some even lower than that. He narrowed his eyes as he thought of what Mikhail was trying to prove to him by sending such opponents.

He watched as Lars took aim at one of the soldiers looking out of the helicopter and widened his eyes as he heard Mikhail's voice echo in his head. "_You're just a machine, a cold-blooded, heartless creature that has never looked at another person and felt any true feelings towards them. You're a murderer." _Realization hit him shortly after that.

"Stop!" He called out to Lars.

The call startled Lars so that he fired the bullet only to have it strike the exterior of the helicopter rather than the man. The missed bullet captured the attention of the other SPETSNAZ soldiers and they began firing at Lars. Fortunately, with the unsteadiness of the helicopter and their poor shooting abilities, the rebel leader was able to evade them just before taking cover behind the building.

"What's the matter," Lars asked as Sergei joined him, "A friend of yours?"

Looking down at his pale hand, Sergei whispered, "We can't kill them…" He knew Mikhail was only using these men as expendables so that he could prove to Sergei that he still hasn't changed. That he was still only a killing machine. The thought almost sickened him to think that men who had families were simply thrown into a slaughter by someone they trusted.

Seeing that Sergei was serious about not killing the men, he didn't ask any questions. He simply phoned his sniper and said, "Jane, don't kill any of them."

"What? Why?" She replied, shifting the crosshairs of her gun to her target's leg.

"It's what Sergei wants and this is his battle after all. Let's do as he says."

There was no arguing with Lars' orders so simply complied. As she scanned the Yggdrasil soldiers below, she replied, "You better get telling Tougo and the others too. It looks like they're planning on taking down the helicopters soon."

"Right. I'll talk to you later." With that said he hung up and looked to Sergei. "I'll get the others to stop. After that, I'm leaving them in your hands. You give them the orders." He left the safety of the building and seconds later Sergei could hear him calling out to his soldiers to stop their attacks. Now it was his turn.

With all the troops gathered behind the building which was currently being pelted by bullets, Sergei explained that he needed to infiltrate the helicopter in order to bring it down safely. What he wanted from the rebels was for them to injure and disarm the soldiers from below. Once that was accomplished, he would be able to enter the helicopter with the use of a grappling hook which some Yggdrasil soldiers kept by their sides.

Without even a single argument, Lars' men nodded and headed off. One by one, they maimed and disarmed the SPETSNAZ recruits from below until only mere _people _sat in the helicopters. Seeing as how there were two helicopters to infiltrate, Lars placed a hand on Sergei's shoulder and said, "I can't promise you I know how to fly one, but I'll help."

With each man throwing a grappling hook onto the legs of a helicopter, they began their ascension to reach the pilot. Jane, who was watching through her scope raised an eyebrow and whispered, "What's going on…?"

Anna looked at the young lady lying on her stomach and sighed. She could clearly see what was going on with her bare eyes. "Our boys our working together," she told her.

Both Sergei and Lars climbed up the rope until they eventually made it in. At the first sight of Sergei, the soldiers gasped and stuttered. "S-Sergei…" Looking at him now, they almost couldn't believe it was him. His eyes shone with the sunlight and his whole being was almost godly. They were so busy marveling him in all his splendor that they barely noticed as he roughly pushed the pilot aside to land the helicopter.

"Wh-what are you doing you…" The soldier wanted to say 'traitor' to finish his sentence yet the word couldn't form. The word wouldn't suit the heroic man that stood before them.

Without anyone fighting him, Sergei maneuvered the helicopter to the ground as his former soldiers watched him, gripping their wounded legs and arms. They landed safely as if a professional had been piloting.

With both helicopters on the ground, albeit one not in one piece, the soldiers within Sergei's helicopter began looking him up and down as if he were a stranger. "Why Sergei…?" One had the courage to ask.

Sergei turned around to look at them in return and slowly replied, "I'm not the one you want…"

"As if we should believe you!" Another soldier, who tried to sound angry, yelled back unconvincingly. "Why not just kill us like you did to Aleksander?"

Stepping out of the jumbo jet, Sergei passed the crew one final glance and said. "I did not kill Aleksander. You can keep an eye on me all you want, but I will advise you that the one you should be watching, sits on the high throne of SPETSNAZ."

He stepped out of the helicopter and was greeted by the Red Rebel Soldiers who were smiling and laughing. He followed their eyes to the other helicopter and found that Lars' attempt at landing the plane was much different from his own. After having to knock the soldiers unconscious as they tried to push him out the door, Lars had to wrestle the pilot away from the controls, and once that was done, he made a crash land.

"Geez Lars," one of his comrades joked as he watched the sandy blonde step out from the would-be helicopter, "what were you thinking trying to pilot this thing?"

Sergei heard giggling and found both Jane and Tougo trying to hold in their laughter. On that part, Jane was being very unsuccessful.

Anna found him and held his chin in her palm. "Well look at this," she smirked, "Who knew that my gloomy soldier boy knew how to smile."

It was true. For the first time in what seemed like ages, a true smile graced Sergei's lips as he found himself surrounded by friends.

**Author's Notes: And I give to you Chapter 14! I have to admit that I loved writing the ending to this chapter. So cheesy! But I had to set up a happy condition for Sergei so that I could make him smile. Uh, yeah, I'm not too big of a fan of Lars and Alisa (it's not like I hate her, but I personally think she belongs with Shin from the movie) so I made Jane. You guys can decide whether they're a couple or not, but I sort of just made her to add another girl to the story since I would think Lars had more friends than just Tougo. Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Day by day, the bandages were removed one by one until at last, all that remained was the wrapping around his shoulder. It had been nearly a week since SPETSNAZ made their latest attack and for the days after, it was all silent. The peacefulness made Sergei wonder if the soldiers had heeded his advice, if they had turned their attention to the tyrant instead.

As he sat alone in the infirmary room, taking a glance at his body and its scars, there was a knock on the door and although he didn't allow access, it opened up nonetheless and there on the other side stood Tougo, in his arms a pile of clothes. "Here you are," he greeted taking a step into the room. He took a look at the soldier and noticed how all his cuts had diminished and smiled. "Looks like all your wounds are just about gone now, aren't they?"

Sergei gave a simple nod. Despite the fact that he had found a friend within all of the rebels, his voice was still a seldom heard sound among the group.

Placing the clothes onto the bed, Tougo said, "We found these for you since your other ones are…tattered…" He scratched his head wondering if that was the appropriate word to describe his attire. "Anyways, once you get dressed, Lars wants to talk to you."

Sergei nodded once again and listened as the door shut shortly after. He turned to face the pile of clothes Tougo had left on the bed and decided that now was as good a time as any to get out of the room and go join the others. After having slipped on the white shirt and blue cargo pants, Sergei opened the door and stepped out, just in time for a certain brunette to pass by.

"Well hello there, handsome," Anna said as she bumped into him. "Heading somewhere?"

Within the week they spent with Yggdrasil, Sergei and Anna's relationship had done anything but dwindle. Every morning Sergei would find himself waking to her kiss and at nighttime, they would fall asleep in each other's arms. It was almost like living the ideal life he had thought could only be reached through dreams.

Yet, the only increasing feelings the Russian was gaining for this woman only seemed to further complicate his decision of seeking revenge. He had decided, from the moment he had laid his eyes on Lars, that he wanted to save the people, his people, who have always looked up to him. That he was going to avenge his friend and seek redemption for his past sins. This was a path that, if taken, had to be traveled alone.

However, this wasn't a one-sided problem as Anna had her own inner demons to face. Since seeing Nina again after so many months, the feelings that she had long suppressed began to return. Her childhood memories of always following in her sister's footsteps, of being her shadow that was always glanced over, they had begun to plague her mind once again. She knew, even as a child, that she was nothing compared to the "Golden Girl" named Nina and no matter how much she would be shoved away, she would still insist on trying to cling to her. She let herself get beaten up by her own idea of being able to gain any love from the sister she desired to be.

And for that reason, she felt as if she had to reclaim her pride, to avenge herself for allowing herself to be stepped over. She had to defeat Nina and for once, be the one to look down upon the other. And she wanted to do it on her own. It was the only way to assure herself that she, Anna Williams, was the one to be severing the bonds of sisterhood.

"I have to go speak to Lars," Sergei told her.

"Is that so…Well," she replied, turning her back towards him, "I'll leave you two boys to yourselves then. If you need me, I'll be in the shower." She passed him a wink just before she began walking off. With all her showers, Sergei was surprised no one ever complained about the cold water left over for them.

As he was making his way down to the main room where he expected Lars to be waiting, he passed by the other rooms where the soldiers slept or used as storage. All of them were being emptied as the rebels were packing up their guns, armor, and personal belongings in preparation for moving out. He should have expected that they were planning on moving out soon what with the news of attacks Jin Kazama had made in his own home country. It would be in due time that the Red Rebel Soldiers would be making their appearance.

"So by the look on your face, I assume you already know what's going on," Lars said as soon as Sergei entered their supposed living room. He was, just like the rest of his crew, in the midst of packing up when the Russian had appeared. He placed the two rifles he was holding into their rightful case before turning to his guest. "With Jin's new attack, it's time that we head out again." He looked Sergei in the eyes and continued, "Which is why I needed to speak with you."

While the two were carrying the loaded cases of guns out to the arriving helicopter, Lars, just like the straightforward captain he was, dove straight into what he had wanted to say. "You've proven to be a great asset to this team and I would be lying if I said we didn't need your help. So I was wondering," he began, "if you would like to call Yggdrasil your home."

They shoved the cases into the back of the helicopter as Sergei contemplated what Lars had just asked of him. He exited the plane after Lars then followed him back to the base to repeat the loading. As he picked up another box, he whispered, "I can't." Lars's face showed no sign of any disappointment as he kept his eyes straightforward, continuing to haul their belongings. "There are…things I have yet to complete here," Sergei continued. "Unfinished business…"

Lars was silent for a while before giving his reply. "I understand."

Sergei's right eye flinched as he spoke the words, "Forgive me…"

The sandy blonde passed him a gentle smile and whispered, "There's no need for words like that. I shouldn't have expected that you would walk away from your problems like that anyways." He plopped the case he was carrying on the helicopter then turned to face Sergei full-on. He placed a hand on his shoulder and added, "Besides, I'm sure your country needs you more than we do."

Sergei nodded then looked back towards the base. Lars followed his gaze, a look of slight confusion on his face. "When will you be leaving," he heard Sergei ask him.

"As soon as possible so most likely tonight, tomorrow afternoon will be the latest."

"Then I have a favor to ask of you," Sergei began. The rebel listened intently as the Russian began speaking. "What I plan on doing…I can't promise anyone that I'll make it out alive. So I want you to take care of Anna for me."

Lars tried to read his face for any sign of a joke, but all he found was pure seriousness. Seeing as how there was no point in trying to ask what he meant by not making it out alive, Lars sighed and whispered, "Sure. Although, I'm not going to be the one who has to explain it to her when you don't come to pick her up." Sergei nodded while Lars gave a soft chuckle.

Just as they finished moving the last of their cargo, the two men stood outside the helicopter. The sun had just begun its descent as the day had come to an end. Lars turned to face the man beside him then held up his hand to him, his elbow bent into a ninety degree angle. "It was nice to know you, Sergei Dragunov," he spoke kindly.

Sergei, although unaccustomed to such acts of kindness, clasped his hand with his own and gave him his signature nod. "Same."

Some five or six soldiers exited the base, dressed in their famous red, and began heading towards the helicopter, Sergei recognizing two of them as Tougo and Jane.

Seeing as how they were all prepared to leave, Lars concluded his farewell. "If you ever need a place to call home, be sure to find us. We'll always welcome you."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

They released hands as the soldiers reached them. "We're ready to head out, sir." Tougo saluted.

Lars nodded. "Right. And Miss Anna? Is she ready?"

"She'll be coming in just a second," Jane answered. "She said she wanted to speak with you before we left." She turned to Sergei as she spoke.

As the soldiers split up to occupy the two helicopters, Lars stared out at the Russian who was waiting patiently for Anna to come out of the base. Jane, who was sitting beside him, noticed the silence of her leader and asked quietly, "Is something wrong?"

Lars turned his eyes to his lap and muttered, "This may be the last time we see him alive."

The young lady gave him a small smile. "That's funny." Lars passed her an appalled look while she laughed it off. "I meant the way you're worried about him losing his life when every day we face the same problem. You really saw a friend in him, didn't you?"

"I…guess so."

"I think it's because you guys are so similar," she continued. "Whenever I look into his eyes, I feel as if I'm looking into yours. Perhaps you feel the same?"

The air between them went silent again until Lars turned his attention from Sergei to Jane. He raised her chin up to look into her eyes and asked, "So what do you see when you look into my eyes?"

As those two spoke in the helicopter, Anna eventually made her way out of the base. She spotted Sergei standing beneath the choppers and began to approach him. She stopped just a few feet short from where he stood as their eyes met.

As the wind whipped her medium length hair about her face, she said, just loud enough to be heard from the roar of the propellers, "So you're going to leave me…?"

Leave her? The way she put it, made a clad of guilt begin to build up in Sergei's chest. Unable to resist the temptation he had to comfort her, he reeled her in and crushed her against him. He held her for a while before he began to feel her arms wrap around his neck. "It's nothing like that," he whispered into her ear. "I…want to protect you…"

He heard her begin to chuckle and whisper, "You know, I always thought it was going to be me who was going to leave you…I guess I'm still not far off from the target, am I?"

"Anna…"

She reached up and stroked his cheek with her fingers while examining his face. "I never told you thank you for everything you've done. From saving me to buying me all those clothes…And for letting me be in your arms when I needed someone the most." She kissed him gently on the lips before continuing. "I didn't want to admit to myself, but I guess along our journey together, I had fallen in love with you."

The words shook his heart and he could feel his face and even his neck begin to burn up. It was such a…"fuzzy" feeling to say the least. He had never thought the word "love" could ever be cohesive with his own name. Before he could say anything, she had wrapped her arms back around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss, timing it perfectly with the snow. Although they had shared their first kiss in the snowfall as well, Sergei noted that it was nothing compared to the one they were sharing now.

When they reluctantly separated from one another, Anna said, through panting and swollen lips, "I know we'll see each other again…Sergei."

Taking her hand, Sergei led her to the helicopter Lars was in and helped her up. With their hands still gripping one another's, Anna bent down to him and whispered seductively, "And the next time we meet Sergei, I want to hear it from your lips. I want to hear you say you love me."

As soon as he nodded and gave her that small smile, he had officially made a promise.

"So are we all ready to go," the pilot called to Lars after Anna had settled down into a seat.

"Yeah," Lars muttered as he watched Sergei begin to walk off. It suited him, Lars thought; to walk off alone in the blizzard, prepared to face his opponent head-on with nothing, not even his own life, to worry about. Perhaps only the White Angel of Death could pull off such a picture-perfect farewell.

"Well if we're ready," the pilot called out, grabbing Lars's attention in the process "I'm setting a course for Japan." There came no reply so he began to get the helicopter hovering. Within a few minutes, they were off the ground and leaving behind Russia and Sergei…

**Author's Notes: Yeah, this was a more…lovey-dovey chapter without a doubt. I didn't know if I should've added more to this chapter since it's a little shorter than the usual length of what I make them to be, but I sort of just wanted to focus on Sergei's farewell. Anyways, I'm happy to say that this story will soon be complete! I would say maybe there'll be like five, give or take a few, more chapters left. I have the ending all figured out, I just need to put it in story form now. Well, thanks for reading and leave a review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

News of the traitorous Sergei Dragunov spread through Russia like wildfire. Everywhere one walked there would be pictures of him posted on billboards and televisions broadcasting the tragic tale of Aleksander's death. Everyone was on the lookout for him, although many doubted that he would still be roaming around Russia.

"…_and let us always keep our beloved Aleksander Barclay in our hearts and remember him always as—" _ Anton clicked his television screen off and shoved his shaggy brown hair over his head as he let out an exhausted sigh. How many weeks had it been since Sergei had run off? It seemed as if the news of him killing Aleksander would refuse to dwindle as Anton swore for the past month all he could recall were the same news reports. Even reports on the weather were rare nowadays.

He leaned back in his chair and took a look at the ceiling above him and couldn't help but wonder if his commander was sleeping under a roof right now. But he quickly shook the question away. _"Of course Commander Dragunov doesn't sleep. He's so strong he has no need to do such a thing!" _He smiled as he recalled those words spoken by his colleague, Markov.

Ever since Anton could remember, Markov had admired Sergei more than a boy admires his favorite cartoon hero. He never truly understood what he saw in the man beyond his fighting skills, always aloof behavior, and possibly his good looks, for Anton was sure Sergei never showed much interest in the young lieutenant. Yet whatever Markov saw in Sergei, it had persuaded the shy, timid boy to join SPETSNAZ just to be beside him. And now with the current situation, Markov had, as Anton would put it, snapped.

What was he thinking, thinking that he could overthrow Mikhail from the throne? And yet, despite how crazy the idea seemed, Anton found himself being pulled into it all the same. Perhaps it was because of the fact that he did admire Sergei, and wasn't all too fond of Mikhail either, but maybe it was also because he didn't want Markov to go about it alone. Either way, he had agreed to Markov's crazy plan so couldn't turn back now.

So that was why he was here, sitting alone in his flat waiting for one phone call.

Sergei returned to the base after the helicopters departed and looked around at the empty rooms. It was hard to believe that, just a day ago, this place was so lively and homely. But now, it was deserted, returning to its former state of being just an abandoned warehouse. He settled down on the raggedy sofa which Tougo sat on as he and Lars played cards across the table and stared blankly down at his lap. He couldn't help but feel that, just like this warehouse, he too had reverted back to his old form… Back to being alone. It hadn't even been a day yet and he missed them already.

However, as he shifted in his seat, he felt something brush against his leg and upon looking down, he realized it was Kliment's gun. That was when he remembered the reason why he didn't board the helicopter with the others. He had something to do.

Quickly pushing aside his feelings, he once again became the cool and calculating commander he was known to be as he began to plan his next move. Without a doubt, he needed to get back into the city, but using what route? Not only was SPETSNAZ after him, he had the entire country looking for him. He examined his clothing and remembered that his outfit was no longer his army attire. Although not much, at least it would be enough to spare him a few glances.

As he continued to contemplate and organize his plans, he heard the wind blowing against the walls of the building and gave a small smirk. Mother Nature was on his side tonight.

The blizzard was getting worse by the minute as Mikhail watched from his window, that devious smile planted on his lips. He was enjoying this power he gained as soon as he took his father's seat, but never could he enjoy it more than watching the people of Russia dance at the ends of his strings. They were naïve little creatures who couldn't do anything if someone wasn't directing them at every turn.

Suddenly he heard the door to his office open and in walked Lieutenant Markov, a stoic look on his face.

"I don't think I gave you permission to enter," Mikhail said, the back of his chair still facing the young man.

Markov didn't flinch but stood his ground, waiting for his superior to turn around and face him. Seeing as how whoever entered wasn't planning on leaving his office, Mikhail looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of his favorite underling. "Ahh…Markov. What brings you hear," he said, his voice feigning joy.

Keeping his face straight and strong, the young lieutenant asked, "What happened to them?"

Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Them? What do you mean, my boy?"

"You know what I mean!" Markov yelled back. "What did you do to them?"

At Markov's outburst, Mikhail broke out laughing. When he managed to settle down, he wiped a few stray tears from his eyes and replied, "What do you mean what _I _did? Your beloved Sergei Dragunov killed them after they went after him, remember?"

Markov clenched his fist and fought to hold back the tears that he felt were coming. Sergei…Never once did he see his commander shed a tear so he too was going to do the same. "I saw them return…" he muttered, "They learned all about you so you got rid of them, is that it? Or was it the fact that Sergei never killed them so you had to? To sully Sergei's image."

"Hah! You think I need to sully his image? The man's already done that himself. Don't you remember all the lives he's taken in the past? Not only that, but he did turn his back on his nation when he left—"

"You're wrong! He turned his back on SPETSNAZ, not his nation. He was standing up for what he finally thought was right and that was to leave _this_ behind." He motioned to the room surrounding him. "He wanted to stop obeying his orders so that he _wouldn't _have to kill anymore. You gave the orders and he obeyed. Who was really the murderer then?"

"Big bark for a little dog…So what?" Mikhail replied lazily. "So you're telling me Dragunov's a changed man? Don't delude yourself. When a man's hands are as bloodied as his, there's nothing left to call yourself but a monster. You can believe that you can change, as Dragunov thinks, but in time, he'll see he still is that same beast."

Markov went silent as he gazed at the floor. Sergei had changed. The White Angel of Death was gone. He looked back up at Mikhail's cocky grin and said with strength in his once gentle voice, "No, he has changed and you, you're the one who refuses to believe it because you're jealous."

Mikhail raised an eyebrow, his face bearing a look of slight confusion. "Jealous?"

"That's right. You're jealous of Sergei because while you continue to sink into this pool of darkness, he's headed towards the light. He's done something you could never do. He was able to hold onto a piece of humanity no matter how much blood he spilled." His young blue eyes shined as he saw what he believed to be hints of anger reach Mikhail's face. "Something even the great Mikhail Barclay fails to do…" He concluded.

Something in what he said, or perhaps the way he said it, greatly enraged the new SPETSNAZ leader as he found himself unable to control his temper. He found himself rising to his feet and approaching the helpless lieutenant. Before he knew it, he had found the young man's neck in between his strong, calloused hands. Yet despite knowing that, he couldn't find it in himself to pull away or release his grip. Instead, he found his grip strengthening as he felt a smile begin to tug at his lips.

As he choked the air out of the smaller man, he smirked and whispered deviously, "So I can't cling to a piece of humanity. Is that why you say I'm jealous?"

Even with Mikhail choking the life out of him, Markov still found it in himself to smile, albeit weakly. He had reached a nerve and yanked it. He was beyond knocking on Death's door now. Hell, he was practically already inside and playing Death's head like a bongo at this point. "You believe you killed your own father in order to own SPETSNAZ and frame Sergei. But is that really the truth? Are you sure you didn't do it to test if you had any emotions left?"

The grin on Mikhail's face faded as his fingers tightened their hold on Markov's neck. Now gasping for air, the blonde lieutenant choked out the final words, "You killed your father…"

Just as he felt he was about to black out, Markov felt the pressure on his neck weaken as his ears filled with Mikhail's cold words. "So I did…And I promise you, young lieutenant," he gingerly patted Markov's tuft of blonde hair as if he were a child, "I'll kill you, too. But not here, oh no." He smirked as he began walking back to his desk. "I'm going to test your theory of how human Sergei Dragunov truly is…" He glanced back at Markov and with crazed eyes, he concluded, "By ripping you to shreds before his eyes." Soon the room was filled with his maniacal laughter.

As his laughing continued, Markov stumbled his way out into the hall and after taking a few steps away from the office, he reached into his pocket and pulled from it, his phone. Slowly, he raised it up to his ear and said with his raspy voice, "Did you…get all that, Anton?"

Back at his apartment, Anton, who had kept silent throughout the entire phone call, gave a nod and whispered, "Yeah, I have it all recorded. But are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'll be alright but I think I'll need to ditch town for a while…"

Anton smiled at his friend's sense of humor despite his sudden near death experience. "Hey, you and me both. Once I get this to the radio station, don't you think Mikhail will be after my ass too?"

Markov laughed then whispered, "I'll talk to you later, Anton." After that, he hung up. He had done his part, now it was up to not only Anton, but the people. They had to believe in Sergei otherwise Mikhail would ultimately be the victor in this battle.

Sergei exited and closed the door to the former Yggdrasil base for the final time. In it remained his discarded SPETSNAZ uniform, the image of his former self. He wasn't planning on returning as he had decided that from this point on, he was going to overthrow Mikhail. And for once he was going to do what _he _wanted to do and what _he _thought was right. Even if he was destined for hell as Mikhail believes, for the remainder of his life, he was going to make the most of it and try to right his wrongs. That was his resolve.

The bitter cold wind nipped at his bare arms as he walked through the blizzard but being a soldier, Sergei had learned to endure such harsh conditions that would leave others running for shelter. In this environment, he had the advantage. While his fellow countrymen would be in their houses, he would be able to walk straight through town. Whereas a normal human's vision would be obscured by the billowing snow, Sergei's sharpened eyesight would find no difficulties in navigating to his destination. This is what made the blizzard Sergei's ideal playing field.

The gentle radiance of streetlights reached Sergei's view after an hour or so of walking and he knew right away that he was back in the heartland. As expected, the streets were deserted with the acceptance of stragglers who were just heading home and trying to catch a cab. As he stood on the sidewalk, gazing at all the buildings and people, he had never felt more at home here.

Busy looking over the city, he didn't notice the coated woman approaching him. She was in her older years, dressed head to toe in winter clothing and as she was fighting against the heavy wind, trying to make her way home, she had accidentally crashed into him. She looked up at him through frosted eyelashes and at the sight of him she froze, her mind searching for the answer to why she recognized him. Eventually all the posters, newspapers, and television broadcasts filled her mind and suddenly Sergei found her stumbling back, trembling, not from the cold, and pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"I-It's you…" Frantically she looked around at the deserted streets and despite not seeing anyone within range she began to call out, "Someone! Someone! It's him! It's the traitor!"

Some people who were just in the process of stepping into a cab just across the street managed to catch her muffled cry and looked over, trying to see through all the snow at where she was calling from. They spotted the woman but failed to see what she was pointing at. One man ran up to see what was wrong and scratched his head. "Ma'am, are you okay," he asked over the wind.

"Don't you see him? It's the man…" As she pointed back to where she had originally seen Sergei, she froze. He was gone, not even a footprint to show he even stood there. She looked into the face of the man who was beside her and gulped. "I know he was here!"

"Ma'am, it's just the weather, it's getting to your head. Come now," he said offering her his arm, "Let's catch you a cab and send you home." Seeing as how she wasn't able to convince this young man otherwise, she complied and let him lead her to a cab, insecurities building up inside her.

Sergei, meanwhile, watched from the alley as they walked past, his silver eyes set on the woman. He was fortunate enough to be spotted only by an elderly woman as she was now being considered senile, but he couldn't let another person get a good look at his face like that.

When they were out of sight, Sergei stepped out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk just as a group of drunken men began walking by. One happened to brush his shoulder due to their clumsiness and as if it were Sergei's fault, the man turned back to him and said through slurred words, "What the hell?"

His other two accomplices turned to him and asked, just as sloppily as the first, "What's wrong?"

"This guy thinks he can just shove me aside." As he said that, he shoved Sergei back into the wall. "Don't ya'?"

What were the odds, Sergei thought, that he'd run into a bunch of buffoons during a critical time like this? If he fought them now, he'd definitely catch the attention of someone, so perhaps brushing them off and walking away was his best option. Or so he thought.

Just as he had turned his back to them, he felt a hand lay itself on his shoulder and a voice say, "Where do you think you're going, hot shot?" Allowing his anger to get the best of him, Sergei grabbed the man's wrist and in one smooth motion, threw him over his shoulder, planting him on his back right in front of the Sambo fighter. He stepped on the drunkard's shoulder, belonging to the arm he still had in Sergei's grasp, and yanked, dislocating his arm.

As Sergei released him, he turned to the other two behind him just in time to see them both come at him. Sergei sidestepped the first one before kneeing him the gut and caught the second one's punch. With his fist in his palm, he turned the man around, knocked out his knees from beneath him and wrenched his arm so far back, the man was pleading to be released. He got what he wanted, but not until he was granted with a beautiful popping noise.

With one last opponent, who was now throwing up all the vodka after the hit he received, Sergei decided it was time to leave the scene. Except he soon found he couldn't do such a thing as he was now surrounded by three police officers, all of them aiming their guns at him. He spotted the red and blue lights belonging to their cars and couldn't believe he hadn't heard them before now.

He glanced at the vomiting man from the corner of his eye and let out an inward sigh. These three must have been causing trouble throughout the entire night. If only he had managed to avoid them.

"Sergei Dragunov," one officer addressed, "You're under arrest. Put your arms behind your back and lower yourself to the floor."

When he returned to the city, his plan wasn't to get arrested. But, neither was getting into a fight with three drunken idiots. He quickly let his mind think of quick escape options, but not quick enough for the officers to lose their patience. A deafening gunshot filled the air as an officer shot off a round, centimeters from Sergei's foot. "We're not playing, Sergei. You think I won't shoot you if you don't comply? I'll make sure I kill you the way you killed Aleksander."

Sergei flinched at the words, but nonetheless, he found himself dropping to the snow-covered ground. Slowly, an officer approached to put the handcuffs on him, but just as he grabbed Sergei's hands, Sergei snatched his in return and masterfully maneuvered himself back onto his feet, the officer now his hostage as he held Kliment's pistol to his cranium.

They gasped and stepped back. "Y-You bastard!"

"Leave me alone," Sergei whispered coldly.

One of the officers raised his gun and yelled, "I will kill you Dragunov if you don't put him down!"

"Then do it," Sergei challenged.

The other officer looked over at his partner and shook his head. "No, you're going to miss!"

It was too late. The officer fired the bullet, but in record speed, Sergei shoved his hostage to one side while he rolled to the other. The hostage, aside from a few scratches was unharmed while Sergei on the other hand, could feel that the bullet had made its home in his shoulder. However, there was no time for him to nurse it as he quickly took off running through the snow which was now, at this point, so thick one couldn't even see three feet in front of them.

He ran through the snow until at last, he found that he was standing in front of an apartment in which a beautiful blonde woman was just about to enter. At Sergei's sudden appearance, the woman let out a little yelp and quickly took a step back from him. Judging by the look on him, he had just completed running as he was panting heavily, his breath creating clouds of smoke with each breath he took. And he was poorly dressed, especially considering this weather.

"H-hey…" She said as she noticed the stream of blood running down his shoulder, "Are you…alright…?" She crept close enough just to lay a soft hand against his arm, hoping to get his attention. As he looked up to glance at her, her emerald green eyes widened as she whispered his name. "Commander Dragunov…?"

Sergei looked the woman over, and although she had called his name with so much recognition, he failed to put a name to her lovely face. Nevertheless, he remembered seeing her face before. He dug deep into his thoughts, wondering where he had seen her before. He looked down at her left hand that she had placed on his arm and saw set on the ring finger was a beautiful diamond ring. That was when it hit him…This was Kliment's beautiful wife, Annessa…

"What are you doing out here, sir," she asked. "Please, we must get you inside before anyone sees." Before Sergei could argue or explain, the young lady had already ushered him into the apartment's doors and up to her room, both of them going unseen by any of the other patrons.

The apartment Sergei found himself being thrown into was just an ordinary flat; living room with two sofas, a fireplace on the side, and a little kitchenette in the back corner. On the left side of the room were two doorways, one, he guessed, which led to the bedroom and the other most likely the bathroom. Yet there were some items that set it apart from any other flat and those were the pictures sitting on the mantelpiece and hanging from the walls. They held the images Kliment and Annessa, both of them smiling and laughing as they held one another in their arms.

There were many pictures in the small living space, but one caught his attention more than the others. It was sitting in the center above the fireplace, its frame bigger than the ones surrounding it. He slowly made his way towards it and stopped when it was just an arm's reach away from him. From this distance, Sergei was able to get a better view of it and as he began to study it, he felt his jaw clench tight.

It was a photo of Kliment, professionally done, donned in an elegant navy blue suit with his usual shaggy brown hair slicked back. He was standing beside a white pillar wrapped with the most striking flowers in a beautiful white hall. Perhaps it was a church. Sergei wouldn't know. He wore a kind smile on his lips as they snapped the picture.

Annessa, after removing her pink coat, approached Sergei until she was standing beside him. She looked over the picture of her own deceased husband and gave a weak smile. "He looked nice, didn't he?" She asked, breaking the silence between them. "We took it the week after he proposed to me. You should have seen how much of a fuss he caused when we tried to do his hair."

They went silent again but Annessa, whose eyes were now beginning to sparkle with oncoming tears, whispered, "He gave me a phone call the night before he died…Do you…want to know what he said…?" She looked up at Sergei who still remained soundless. He turned his eyes down towards her while she said, almost happily despite the tears rolling down her cheek, "He told me, 'Sergei wanted me to come back home to you. And…I have to follow my commander's orders, don't I?'" She wiped the tears from her eyes as her voice became choked with sobs. "He…never came back to me…"

As the blonde beside him began to cry, Sergei gently placed his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

While the young lady continued to cry in his arms, Sergei looked over at the photo of Kliment sitting on the mantelpiece and felt his own feelings begin to take over as he realized how hard he was clenching the fabric of Annessa's shirt. Being surrounded by all these memories of Kliment, he was beginning to feel overwhelmed with emotions. Yet, no matter how much his emotions fought within him, Sergei still refused to shed a single tear.

**Author's Notes: I almost shed a few tears myself writing the ending to this chapter…Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I felt like I had to make it up to you guys after updating that lame chapter so I tried to incorporate more fighting into this one and making it longer. I purposely chose Kliment's wife's name to be close to Anna's (if you didn't notice) to make them parallels. You'll see Sergei comparing them in a later chapter. Anyways, I really had fun writing this chapter and hopefully you guys had just as much fun reading it. As always, thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

When all her tears had dried and her mood had returned back to normal, Annessa sat Sergei down on the sofa to examine his bullet wound. Having been a wife for a special ops soldier, she was used to removing bullets and stitching up wounds. Her handiness kept the hospital bills low, that was for sure.

Once wrapping his arm with a cloth, reducing the blood flow, she pulled from her first-aid kit, pliers. "This is going to hurt just a bit," she told him as she neared him, aiming for the hole in his shoulder.

As she dug through his meat with her tool, Sergei couldn't help but notice the scent Annessa carried with her. It was very subtle, spring-like, and it suited her gentle nature to a T. Definitely a scent his own Anna Williams couldn't pull off. And, now that he thought about it, one of the many things she couldn't pull off that Annessa could.

While Annessa wore modest clothing, Anna was flashing off her goods. Where Annessa was reserved and gentle, Anna was fierce and bossy. Even their looks were different. Green-eyed Annessa, blonde, wore her hair long in contrast to the blue-eyed brunette who preferred the bobbed look. They were incomparable. Complete opposites.

As Sergei continued to list the differences between the two women, Annessa retrieved the bullet from his body and placed it in a towel on her lap. "There," she whispered. "All that's left now is to stitch you up." The needle and thread came out and without warning, she began her post operation.

Sergei didn't flinch as the needle went in and out of his skin, closing up the wound delivered to him by the cop. After all the bullets he's received along with the gashes, cuts, and bruises, a little needle was nothing. In fact, now that he thought about it, the most painful thing he had ever felt was not the bullet of a pistol or the fists of a well-bred fighter. It was the feeling of having to say goodbye to someone you care about, and the uncertainty of not knowing whether you could ever see them again that hurt the most. The idea of never seeing Anna again, that was what tore at him the most…

The room around them was quiet until the blonde decided to break the silence by asking him, almost in a teasing tone, "So, what's she like?" The question came unexpected, to say the least, and Sergei had unknowingly passed her a confused look. Annessa, unused to seeing Kliment's commander so perturbed, couldn't help but giggle. "Don't give me that look. You know what I mean. Kliment told me all about it during our phone call." She tightened the thread as she was finishing up her stitching. "He told me that you had fallen in love. So, who's the lucky lady? What's she like?"

He took her question into consideration as he thought about his answer. What she's like? What can he say about her? He recalled the first time he had laid his eyes on her. He had been assigned to find her and bring her back to SPETSNAZ headquarters at the orders of Aleksander and was thus given a picture of her. She was stunning in the photo, but not even the best of cameras could ever capture the true beauty that was Anna Williams.

She was more than a picture as she was warm and real, breathing and living. She cried and laughed, felt morose and happy. She was good at kissing and she was all that existed when you had her nude in your bed. She was far from picture perfect but Sergei couldn't think of anyone else he would rather have in his arms than her.

"She was…the little bluebird of happiness that came pecking at my window, and I…let her in."

The next morning, long before the sun had a chance to make its rise from the east, a shaggy haired brunette exited his flat and released a breath he had been holding in. "Man…," he whispered, "What am I doing…?" He reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. He stared long and hard at it, contemplating. Finally, he tucked it back into its original spot and looked up at the smoky sky, a smirk on his face. "You better be grateful for this, Commander Dragunov."

Treading through last night's leftover snow, Anton approached the edge of the sidewalk and waited for a cab, feeling unfortunate for the cabby who had such early shifts. The car pulled up and the young soldier stepped in. The man behind the wheel looked back at his customer and upon seeing his uniform, shifted his gaze into a kinder one and asked, "Where to, sir?"

"The radio station please."

The cabby passed him a stunned look. That was all across town! And with this snow, they wouldn't get there for another good two hours if they were lucky. Nevertheless, you didn't argue with a soldier so he pulled the car out into the road. Just as he did so, he heard Anton chuckle lightly behind him and tell him, "I know it's far, which is the reason I called you in so early." That was a blatant lie. The reason for rising so early was to avoid unnecessary eyes. He didn't need everyone telling Mikhail that he was the one who had delivered the message.

Midway through their slow, slippery, and bumpy trip, the cabby, unused to all the silence felt a need to break the silence. "So," he spoke, "did you hear about it last night?"

Peeling his eyes off from the window, Anton turned to the older man. "What?"

"That Dragunov fellow; I heard he was spotted in town last night."

Anton widened his eyes and found himself sitting up straighter, wanting to hear more. "You're not serious."

"No, it's true. It was all over the news. Apparently he was found by some policemen while they were looking for a bunch of drunks causing trouble last night. Who would've thought that he was hiding beneath our noses all along?"

"Is that so…?" Something didn't sound right about this story. What would Sergei be doing out in the middle of town when he knows for sure that he's an enemy of Russia. "So how did he get away?"

"Well, y'know about the blizzard last night? He made his escape through that. Though, one of the officers did say that he managed to land a bullet on him." As he continued to explain about the news report that he had watched, the radio station came into view and he concluded his tale.

"He sounds…pretty crazy if you ask me," Anton said, playing along with the citizen.

A solemn look crossed the man's face as he pulled into the radio station's parking lot. "Yeah," he whispered, "But y'know…Maybe he's not too bad of a guy after all…"

Anton raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

Reluctant to speak about the supposed "traitor" to this soldier, the cabby gulped and responded, "If he truly is this 'killer' SPETSNAZ makes him out to be, I'm sure those three drunks would be dead by now. But," he added abruptly, "what would I know?"

The soldier passed the nervous cabby a smile. After handing him the fare for the ride, and a fair amount of tip, he opened the door and put one foot outside. Though, before exiting the cab entirely, he placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder and told him, "Yeah, he really is a good guy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Just as he put his second foot out the door, prepared to leave the taxi, he abruptly stopped as he remembered one last thing to tell the man. "Oh, and before I go, keep your radio on."

Leaving the cabby confused, Anton left the car and preceded into the station where the final touches of Markov's plan was to take place…

The scent of eggs and sausages woke Sergei from his sleep and slowly he sat up, recalling last night's escapades. He found himself surrounded by the photos of his former subordinate as he was lying on the sofa, a wool blanket draped over his body. He didn't remember when he had fallen asleep, or how for that matter, but he definitely had a sound sleep especially considering his current location and local status.

Annessa came into view carrying a tray of food and greeted him with her vintage smile. "Good morning, Sergei. Did you have a good night's rest?"

She placed the breakfast before him on the coffee table and turned on the television set in the corner. As she began channel surfing, Sergei, almost questioningly, stared at the food before him. Spotting the disconcerted look on his face, the blonde asked, "Is something wrong?"

"You shouldn't be doing this."

"What do you mean?"

He motioned to the food before him. "All of this. If anyone found out you were housing me…"

She placed a gentle hand on his cheek causing him to turn up and look at her. Her smile was graced on her face as usual as she spoke. "I know the consequences and I'm willing to risk it because...I have nothing else to lose. Since Kliment passed away, people have asked me how I live on without him. And my answer is I don't. I endure."

"Annessa…" Suddenly, he saw the one similarity her and Anna had in common.

Biting her bottom lip, Annessa turned away from him and as if to avoid speaking of the topic any longer, she digressed, "Now, you better start eating or your food will get cold."

Not wanting to upset her any more than he had already, Sergei began to eat while she continued to go through the channels until at last, she reached the news reports. As it had been for the past month or so, the broad band reading "Breaking News" was running across the bottom of the screen, but this time, the font below it was different from its usual, "Traitor on the Loose" storyline.

"Controversial Radio Broadcast: Behind SPETSNAZ's Closed Doors," were the new words to grace the television screen.

"_Early this morning, a radio broadcast was sent out to the public," _the female newscaster began, "_This radio broadcast was a supposed recording of SPETSNAZ leader, Mikhail Barclay, confessing to the murder of the late great Aleksander Barclay, falsely accusing former Commander Sergei Dragunov with crimes, and even threatening the young lieutenant, Markov Solari, who had recorded the whole conversation. However, can these allegations against the new leader be results of forgeries? We have yet to hear from Mikhail on this matter, leaving the public to wonder what goes on behind the closed doors of SPETSNAZ."_

After she finished her story, her male colleague who sat beside her commented, "_Yes, it truly makes us wonder who we could trust."_

Sergei stared at the screen for a long while as they replayed the radio broadcast heard by the thousands in the country. He listened and, without a doubt, that was Mikhail's voice he heard, but was the other one truly Markov's? It was too strong, too courageous. Yet all the same, he found that it could belong to no one but.

When the broadcast ended with Markov speaking to Anton, Sergei rose from his seat with a clenched fist. Suddenly, he felt a rise in anger and…protection. Who did Mikhail think he was, laying a single finger on his soldier? "Markov…" he whispered into the air. He couldn't let it happen again. He was going to make sure he was going to save a life.

"Sergei, what are you doing?" Annessa asked as she watched him head towards the door.

"I'm going to go save my soldiers."

He waited for her to speak, but instead heard her giggle, causing him to turn back at her. She caught his glare and in those cold blue eyes, she could see he wanted an answer. "Sergei, there's better ways to do this." She pulled out a phone, black. Clearly it didn't belong to her. "Have you forgotten that Kliment was your subordinate too? He was friends with Markov and Anton, both of which attended his funeral and visited me within the last month or so. Don't you think it'd be better if we bring them here to us rather than you try to find them?" Clicking on the phone and scrolling down the list of numbers, she eventually found a number and held the phone out to him. "Here Sergei, call him."

He stared at it awkwardly. Why couldn't she just call them for him? As if she could read his mind, Annessa, with a cute pout on her face, stated, "Don't you think they'd rather hear your voice than mine?"

With that said Sergei gave in and, in Annessa's opinion, immaturely snatched the phone from her. He dialed the number she had given him and held it up to his ear all the while watching as Annessa smiled back at him. Did she enjoy seeing this "human" side to Sergei?

Anton, who was treading his way back to his flat, kept his face hidden underneath his coat's hood as he listened to the confusion that had erupted in town. He was sure Markov didn't want his broadcast to cause this mess, but nonetheless, it did spark a light in the public's mind as he saw people stare confusedly at Sergei's posters before sneakily pulling them from the boards.

Just as he had reached the foot of his flat, his phone, which was one of the primary causes of this whole ordeal, began to ring. Not expecting a phone call from anyone, he jumped but slowly pulled it out to see that the caller was Kliment's number. Unless you can make phone calls in heaven, which he hoped that was where Kliment was, it could only be Annessa. Glad that it wasn't SPETSNAZ dialing him, he happily answered. "Hello, Annie."

Sergei raised an eyebrow. Annie? Didn't he have an ounce of respect to address the widow appropriately? Clearly he was still the same Anton he knew. Trying to think of the correct words to start his conversation, making sure that whatever he would say would be simple, quick, to-the-point, and avoid Anton's questioning, Anton on the other end was confused at only hearing breathing on the other end.

"Hey, you alright over there?" He asked cautiously, suddenly worried that Mikhail had taken Annessa as a hostage.

"This is Sergei," came the reply, "Get over here right now."

Before Anton could even question, comprehend, or relay the message to his brain, Sergei had hung up. However, once given a few seconds to think of what he had just heard, the biggest smile formed on the young soldier's face. Sergei was back and almost instinctively, he called Markov to relay to him the news.

"Are you sure it was actually him?" Markov asked, stopping himself from entering the cab he had just pulled over. He was dressed in casual winter clothing while gripping a briefcase filled with a few clothes and necessities to last about two weeks.

"Yeah, I'm sure. After all," Anton chuckled, "his voice is only a once-in-a-lifetime thing and we all know we remember those things the best."

Markov nodded despite Anton not being able to see it. His excitement was rising at an increasing pace. The fact that his commander was still alive was more than enough to make the young lieutenant smile.

Imagining how happy Markov must be at the moment, Anton went straight to the point and told him where Sergei was waiting. "I hope you haven't ditched town yet, Markov."

"Was just a second away from doing so." He plopped into the taxi which was now cold due to Markov leaving the door open for so long and gave directions to the now grumpy cab driver. Within a few minutes, the two friends found themselves at the doorstep of the apartment building where Kliment once came home to everyday.

Without even a single knock, Sergei and Annessa watched as the door fling open and two snow covered men entered. "Commander," they called joyfully, "you're back!"

Before Sergei could act, his beloved subordinates had found their arms around him in what could be one of the least manly embraces ever performed by a human being. Never had his underlings ever laid their hands on him, especially in this manner, but for some odd reason, Sergei didn't see a need to push them off nor did he see a reason to return the embrace. Yet, sometimes, you don't need a reason to do something. Gently, Sergei placed a hand on each of their backs and patted them, releasing a hopeless sigh at the same time.

He really had changed…

Once they had unlatched themselves from Sergei, and all storytelling and pleasantries were over and done, Commander Dragunov returned, prepared to give orders. He was going to make sure, that in two nights, the deed he set out to do would be done, but this time not by himself. According to Markov, there was a still whole militia that still saw him as their leader, still waiting for him to give his orders. Not wanting to disappoint, Sergei assured that they would be getting their assignments in due time.

Mikhail listened to the raucous occurring at the front gates of SPETSNAZ and laughed. "Who would've thought the little squirt had it in him to pull something like this off?" Walking back down the halls, hands behind his back, he began to hum. Stopping at the door to his office, he stopped his humming to smirk. "Now it gets fun, Dragunov…" He pushed the door open and casually walked in. He settled himself down at his desk, propping his feet up on the good mahogany and let his eyes skim across the room.

Finally they settled upon the back right corner of his room, the spot where he had shot his father, and smirked. Now lying there were three bodies, a female newscaster and her two colleagues, bound, gagged, and unmistakably terrified. "How are you doing?" Mikhail asked with a smile on his rugged features.

He received only muffled and whimpers as his response.

"Ah, getting impatient, are we? Don't worry," Mikhail conversed, "you'll play your part soon enough." He turned his back to them and gazed out his window. "Don't keep us waiting, Dragunov…"

**Author's Notes: Ugh! I got so frustrated deciding what this chapter was going to be about so I just wrote, hoping that I would get somewhere. I apologize if it seems a little chunky and not up to par. So I got Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and guess which two I paired up with each other…? Because of that, I now have a little idea for the final chapter of this story. I'm hoping it's going to be a good reward for all those who have enjoyed my story. We still have a little more to go through before we reach the final chapter though, so hang in there! As usual, thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to reading your reviews!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The collision with the ground caused her to let out a gasp as the air exited her lungs. Her vision was getting blurred by the rain as well as her fatigue and all she could see above her was the smeared image of her opponent. "Nina…," the fallen woman mouthed.

"Tch. What a nuisance," the blonde woman muttered. Leaving the brunette on the water-soaked gravel, she turned on her heel and began to walk off.

Anna, despite all her injuries, forced herself up, using one arm as leverage and stared at the parting figure. Suddenly the scenery around her began to change into that of a flower field and the departing silhouette was sharpened until she could see a little blonde girl. "N-Nina…" Anna repeated, reaching her hand out towards her sister. The fair-haired child didn't hear her younger sister calling out for her and continued to walk until a man, their father, appeared and scooped the girl up into his arms, ignoring his other daughter who was still reaching for her sister…

Anna dropped her hand and the image of the flower field and the little girl shattered, the surroundings returning to that of the rain-splattered city. No matter how much time passes, that scenario always seemed to find a way to replay itself. Looking back up to her fading sister, her eyes narrowed in anger. She was sick of it. She picked herself up onto her feet. For once, she wanted to be the one to walk away while Nina watched.

With renewed vigor, the young lady ran back at her sister who, not expecting her to get back up, received a kick to the back and was sent sliding face first onto the gravel. The fallen blonde looked over her shoulder at her sibling and narrowed her eyes. Her younger sister, although scratched and bruised all over, stood tall and proud before her.

Cautiously getting herself to her feet Nina soon found that they were standing face to face. She looked into Anna's icy blue eyes and almost found the stare she returned to be intimidating. As for Anna, she noticed that her sister's gaze had just wavered before her. Those weren't the eyes she was used to looking into growing up.

Shifting her gaze downwards, Nina muttered, "You don't learn, do you?"

"Not at all…Sister." Anna smirked.

At seeing the smirk written on her soft pink lips, Nina snapped and began trying to land lefts and rights on the brunette.

Smoothly blocking each of her blows with her quick acting forearms, Anna said through the fists, "Do you really hate it that much when I call you 'sister'?"

"Shut up," Nina responded. "You'll be lucky if you get out of this alive!" She threw in a kick to her series of punches, hoping to catch Anna off guard, but found that she had caught it between her hands. Before she could react, the younger sister twisted it, forcing Nina to stumble and land on her front while Anna sat herself on her sister's back, pulling the captured leg up towards her head. Even with her flexibility, Nina could feel a few muscles and tendons being torn as the girl continued to pull the limb. Before Anna could cause some major damage to her, Nina forced herself onto her back, throwing Anna off, and staggered onto her feet.

Anna, smoothly, also got herself up, lightly brushing off her rear afterwards. She looked back over at Nina just in time to see a look of astonishment on her face before it faded into her usual scowl. "What's the matter, Nina? It's not like you to get caught by surprise…"

Nina remained silent to her sister's comment as she watched her face shift into a solemn one, a look she had never seen on her. "Well get ready for more," Anna continued to speak as she launched a kick into her gut. This time however, Nina managed to sidestep it and as Anna flew by, she snatched her arm, raised it and landed a hard elbow on her revealed ribs.

As the brunette staggered, placing a hand on her recent wound, Nina continued her assault by grabbing her hair, which she noted was now too long to be referred to as a "bob", and shoved her heel up against her spine, eliciting a yelp from her lips. Ruthless, she continued to yank, her pull getting stronger with each second, and in turn her heel continued to dig into Anna's back, leaving another bruise.

As Anna was sure she could begin to feel her hair being pulled out by its roots, she used her free hands to begin peeling Nina's fingers off. Once they were loose enough, she rammed her head up against the blonde's chin, breaking free from her grip. Before Nina could stagger away, Anna pulled off a spinning kick, delivering it right into her sister's stomach and sending her onto her side. Not wasting any time, she continued her assault by settling herself on her sister and dealt a series of slaps and punches to her face.

Startled by Anna's sudden animosity, Nina wasn't given the opportunity to counter any of her strikes until she was already dealt a good mixture of five or six punches and a countless number of slaps. She had caught the brunette's right hand with her left and tried to reverse their positions only to find that while she was pushing Anna down, Anna had snuck one of her long legs over her head and shifted to the side so that she had Nina ensnared in an armlock.

Despite the sudden increase in pain to her left arm, Nina still had the time to wonder how Anna had learned how to perform such moves. She was usually a simple fighter, using only her fists and those mile long legs as her main weapons. But now she was using locks and dislocating limbs. Had she really acquired a whole new technique just to best her?

Too busy contemplating Anna's new asset, she almost didn't notice it when the pull on her arm and the legs around her neck strengthened, causing her to gasp. Upon hearing the gasp, Anna let out a smirk. "How does it feel Nina, to be bested by your little sister?"

"Shut up…" Nina muttered angrily beneath her breath. "You're no sister of mine…" Anna flinched at the words but continued her armlock nonetheless. However, as she did so, she suddenly found that she was looking down at a handgun aimed straight at her in Nina's free hand. She didn't have time to react when she heard her sister whisper, "Now die."

The infiltration of SPETSNAZ was soon to take place. Within the last day, Sergei and his top two subordinates had been planning from sunrise to sunset, the actions they were going to take on the supposed "Day of Reckoning." They had taken into account every possibility and detail when they were designing the plans until, at last, they were able to deem it as perfect.

Now with nightfall already befallen on them, Annessa had set out sleeping spaces for the boys in her living room and demanded that they be asleep before midnight.

"Almost like a mother…" Anton muttered as he began tucking himself in under one of the blankets Annessa had left for them.

Markov passed him a gentle smile before turning to Sergei who was standing beside the window. He was posed like a statue and could easily be mistaken for one if it wasn't for the slight up and down movement of his chest. He was looking up at the stars from the looks of it.

"Commander," Markov asked, "what are you doing?"

He didn't give a response as he continued to gaze at the snowy night sky. It was almost a romantic view, but there was no one to share it with. Now that conditions have calmed, Sergei let his mind wander back to the woman who caused all of this change to begin with. He wondered where she was and how she was faring. He wondered if she had him on her mind at all…

Suddenly he found Markov standing beside him, his gentle look plastered on his face. "Are you feeling alright, sir?"

He gave the boy a nod.

Accepting his answer, Markov too looked out of the arched window at the Christmas-like scenery and asked, "Are you thinking about her, sir? Miss Anna?"

Spot on. Just as he always is. "I'll see her again…" Sergei whispered to no one in particular. Seeing as how Markov had no plans to head to bed yet, Sergei thought it was time to ask him the question that had been plaguing his mind since he had heard the radio broadcast. Shifting his eyes from the stars to his lieutenant, he asked, "Do you really think I've changed, Markov?"

The question caught Markov by surprise. "Huh?"

"You said I had changed, that I was headed towards the light. Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do, sir. The proof is right here, in the way you speak. Would the Sergei from all those years ago even bother to let anyone hear him breathe? I'm sure even you see how much you've changed."

Sergei narrowed his eyes. Markov was right. Throughout this long journey, he had gone through events that had woken up his feelings that had long been chained away. He made friends, smiled, and found love. He felt the emotions of happiness, sadness, anger, and even yearning. He didn't want to say goodbye to any of it.

The next morning, a letter was delivered to SPETSNAZ. It was addressed to a specific department; the department who was currently lacking its leader. A soldier noticed the letter and snuck it into his pocket as he saw who had delivered it.

Casually, he made it to his department's main office, which was now dusty after its occupant's three-month long absence and, while cautiously keeping his eye on the door, he pulled out the envelope and carefully ripped it open. Inside was a handwritten letter stating instructions and orders from a specific man who had gone AWOL. His Commander Dragunov had returned.

Mikhail, after having sat in his office for over five hours, decided it was time he stretched his legs. Rising to his feet he made his exit, passing by his phone which now lay in shambles on the floor. Since early this morning he had been getting call after call, one after the other. Who was to blame him that he decided to toss the appliance across the room?

Once he took a step outside the door, he stopped mid-step and peered back in. "While I'm gone," he said with a grin on his face, "I'm going to ask you to stay quiet. But do whatever you please either way." He closed the door behind him, leaving his hostages alone in the room.

The soldiers who guarded his floor watched as he walked past them, regarding him with either a nod or otherwise ignoring him. Mikhail didn't seem to care whether they acknowledged him or not anyhow. To him they were all mere subjects, disposables, as with all in the human race. He entered the elevator and took it to the bottom floor.

The soldier who was standing guard at the elevator listened as the elevator headed downwards then pulled out his communicator. "It's all clear now. Head in."

The two soldiers who were waiting beside Mikhail's door gave a nod to one another before pushing open the great doors of the room. Almost immediately the captives caught their attention as wriggled and squirmed in the corner. Quickly, one of the soldiers ran to their side and began ungagging them. As soon as the reporter's voice was free, she hoarsely yelled through chapped lips, "Get away from me!"

The sudden outburst surprised the two soldiers, causing them to jump. "M-Miss," one of them faltered while holding out his hands as if at gunpoint, "Please be quiet. We promise to get you out of here." He made a move to untie her hands, but she shoved away from him.

"Get away, you monster!"

The other soldier, who was much calmer than his colleague, narrowed his eyes at the woman and sneered, "I suppose you'd rather have Mikhail release you then, eh?"

She gasped at the name but slowly lowered her guard. With her in this calmer condition, the other soldier got to work freeing her from her binds. As he did so, he whispered soothingly, "I know it's confusing right now, but you have to trust us."

"Trust you?" The reporter scorned, "How can you possibly expect us to trust you when your leader just kidnapped us?"

The soldier stared straight into her eyes and solemnly said, "Mikhail is not and never has been my leader. My true leader—_our _true leader is Sergei Dragunov. And he'll come save us, you can count on that."

As soon as the three captives were freed, the two soldiers were beginning to lead them out until a taller soldier, his uniform adorned with medals of a higher rank, began to approach them. He was one of Mikhail's personal soldiers. "And what were you two doing in Mikhail's personal office," he asked smugly as if he didn't know.

Sergei's two soldiers watched as he began to pull out his communicator but were startled to find the little metal fragment was shot out of his hand before he could speak into it. Turning to where the bullet was shot from, they found Lieutenant Anton gripping his pistol which was still smoking from its latest use. "Get down!" He called to the man.

Mikhail's soldier looked at the three soldiers and smiled as recognition hit. These three were Dragunov's men. Holding up his hands in surrender, he slowly dropped to his knees. "So he's back and playing the role of the white knight now, huh?"

While cuffing him with handcuffs the soldiers usually kept handy, Anton smiled. "White knight? Heh, I never thought of it that way, but sure. Now c'mon, up you go. We gotta' take you to your other friends." He looked over at the captives and told the two soldiers, "Take these three out through our department exit. Make sure no one else sees them. Take them to the hospital ASAP."

"Yes sir." The two saluted and they were off.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Anton let out a sigh of relief. The man in his grasp looked over his shoulder at him and asked, "So how did he know they were there?"

"Beats me. No matter how much he changes, you can never really look into Commander Dragunov's mind."

"That so? Well, I don't know what you guys have planned next, but I'm going to tell you that you should warn your commander to be careful if he plans on fighting Mikhail head-on."

Anton stared at the man's eyes and saw that he wasn't saying this as a joke. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't think it takes a genius to see that Mikhail's a maniacal bastard, but even he knows when he's gone too far. As of now, he knows there's no turning back so he's going to take as much as he can with him before he makes his final plunge. And let me tell you, all of this; from killing Aleksander to persuading all of Russia to believe in him, it's all to get Sergei Dragunov riled up. Because to Mikhail, the most precious gift he could take with him to hell is his rival."

As things were being tied up at SPETSNAZ headquarters, Sergei was finalizing his plans back at the apartment. Not too long ago he had heard the news of his soldiers releasing three hostages from Mikhail Barclay's grip. It had caused a huge uproar and news reporters and civilians alike began to gather in numbers at the front of the gates, declaring to know the truth behind SPETSNAZ. They were all enraged and had gotten to the point in which they were becoming violent. It was then that the soldiers blocking the front had to raise their guns and threaten the people to step back.

Fixing the glove on his hand, Sergei couldn't help but smirk. It was all coming together as he had planned. He wanted everyone to see the truth of Mikhail's reign, even if it meant slandering SPETSNAZ altogether. But perhaps, SPETSNAZ wasn't what it was all made out to be either.

There came a knock at the door and Markov, who had been watching the news, got up to answer it. Looking through the spyhole, he spotted a familiar face standing on the other end, a fellow soldier. Cautiously he peeled open the door and asked, "Did anyone follow you?"

"Not that I know of," the soldier replied.

"Alright then," Markov said, stepping aside, "come in."

The man walked in carrying a brown leather suitcase. He spotted Sergei at the window and gasped as if he had just seen a ghost. "I-I can't believe it…He really is back."

Skipping over any form of greetings, Sergei stepped over to the man and looked at the suitcase. "Did you bring what I asked?"

"Of course, sir," the soldier replied, placing the suitcase on the coffee table. He clicked open the locks and lifted the lid, revealing the contents inside. Weapons, from knives to guns, lined the inside and by the looks of it, they were of only the highest of quality. These were Sergei's personal arms given to him by Aleksander throughout his military career. He had meant to take these with him during his departure, but with the suddenness, he was forced to leave them behind. Now they were back in his hands.

Sergei lifted the knife from its place and gazed at it. They were all still in perfect condition, just as he had left them. He shifted his gaze to the deliverer and nodded. "Thank you."

"Uh…Anything for you, sir," he replied.

Taking the suitcase over to the window, he began to look over each of them, deciding what he would need to bring for his confrontation with Mikhail. If he could, he would plug that man with every bullet of all his guns. If only he could carry so much at once.

The razor-edged knife he had in his hands, he slipped into a strap at his calf while two handguns were secured to the belt of his cargo pants. With one final holster to fill, Sergei made his way over to the mantle where he had left his final weapon. Kliment's pistol. He opened the bullet cartridge and found that it only had a single shot left. He snuck it into his last holster and turned to look at his two soldiers.

"And SPETSNAZ? How is it going there," he asked his soldier.

"Mikhail's room has been searched and secured and all his personal commanders have been apprehended. Hostages have been returned to the public and all soldiers of the Public Safety and Support Department are positioned at the front of the building, holding back the crowd." The soldier answered.

"And Mikhail?"

"Anton said he last spotted him returning to his quarters. Most likely, he's already noticed the missing hostages."

Sergei nodded, glad to hear that all the preparations were finished. All that was left remaining was Sergei's part to play. Turning to the clock he saw that he still had more than five hours to wait until nightfall. _Be patient, Mikhail…I'm coming for you…_

Mikhail sat alone in his office, staring at the grandfather clock ticking away its minutes. When he had returned from his walk and had found the hostages gone and his commanders nowhere to be found, he knew right away, that _he _was back. So tactful and professional, leaving not a single stone unturned; only Sergei Dragunov could devise such a plan.

It was thirty minutes until midnight, Mikhail having waited patiently for over eight hours now. He didn't mind. He would wait another eight if he had to. After all, patience was a virtue, perhaps the only one Mikhail possessed.

Finally he smirked as he felt a shadow begin to hover over him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw, standing on the railing outside his window, the full moon behind him, was the one and only angel he believed in, the only one that could grant him his desires. The White Angel of Death.

Giving Sergei a grin that showed all his teeth, he rose to his feet and opened his arms, at the same time greeting ecstatically, "Welcome back, Dragunov!"

**Author's Notes: Here you have it, Chapter 18! I hope you enjoyed! I had to let you guys know how Anna was doing while Sergei was in Russia so that explains the segment at the beginning. Don't worry, I know that both storylines kinda' ended in a cliff hanger (or at least Anna's) but I assure you, all conclusions will take place in the next chapter. And guess what? I finally got some art up on deviantArt so check that out if you like. You can find it under the keywords: Bluebird, Tekken. Like I said, I'm not an artist so prepare to be blinded once you see it…Anyways, thanks a ton for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Sergei stared at the vile beast of a man who stood on the other side of the glass window and flinched. That disgusting smirk lay on his lips and it conjured up memories from Sergei's days of being a trainee. It was always that smirk he saw day in and day out and to see it now to this day, Sergei wondered why he never tore his lips from his face before.

Launching himself from the railing, Dragunov flew through the glass and straight into Mikhail. He landed a hard blow to his face before quickly being pushed off. Before he would give Sergei a chance to recover, Barclay ran at him with a loaded fist, laughing like a maniac as he delivered it to Sergei's face.

"I'm so glad you decided to come back, Dragunov," he said as he cracked his knuckles.

Wiping the blood from his lip, Sergei rose to his feet and pulled out one of his handguns. At the sight of the gun, Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Playing dirty now are we?" Though the room was dim, the only source of light being the moonlight coming in from the shattered window, Mikhail could see that a smirk tugged on Sergei's lips. He didn't come here to have a fair fight.

Quickly, Mikhail took a dive behind his desk as Sergei began to fire off his rounds. It didn't take long for the bullets to quiet and Mikhail listened closely as he heard the former commander take cautious steps towards him. Just as he counted the seventh step he heard, he grinned and unlatched a grenade from his belt. It was true; Sergei bringing his weapons to this fight only leveled the playing field.

Peeking out from his desk he threw the grenade at Sergei who hastily leaped to the side at the sight of the explosive. Aside from the noise brought on by the blast, Sergei could hear Mikhail's laughter piercing the air as his person stood tall and poised. Grunting, Sergei fired a bullet straight at Mikhail's chest only to have it deflected.

Looking down at his ruined uniform, Mikhail shrugged. "That stung, Dragunov. But did you forget? This place is a _military _base. Bulletproof armor is built here." He smiled then pulled out his own revolver. He fired it, but as in Mikhail's nature to toy with the enemy, he shot at Sergei's hand, sending his gun flying and shattering. He looked down at Sergei's shocked face and smirked. "You've gotten rusty, Dragunov. What? Use up all of your spunk on that girlfriend of yours?"

Sergei couldn't believe the speed Mikhail had when he had fired that shot. There was no aiming involved. It was all instantaneous.

"Speaking of which," Mikhail continued, "Where is she anyways? I was actually planning on doing some experiments on her…See how long it would take for her to scream my name…" He glanced down at Sergei just in time to see him pounce on him, his eyes filled with rage. Sergei's fingers found their way around Mikhail's broad neck and he squeezed mercilessly. "Now this," Mikhail forced out, "is the Dragunov I want to fight…" He smirked even as the air failed to enter his lungs.

Upon seeing the smug look on his face, another flare of anger was sent through Sergei and he soon found himself holding his knife, attempting to shove the blade into his opponent's mouth. He would have succeeded had it not been for Mikhail who actually caught the blade in the nick of time. Even caught in a struggle for his life, Mikhail's mood never seemed to sway. He was a hollow shell.

As Sergei continued to push the blade downward, the tip finally reached the other man's lip. Just a little more pressure and he would be piercing the skin and literally ripping the smirk from Mikhail's face. Yet as he was about to do so, he felt a hard blow to his stomach. Looking down, he found it was Mikhail's fist. Yet that meant, for a mere fraction of a second, there had been a shortage of resistance on the other end of the blade. Looking back at Mikhail's face, he saw that in that short span of time, he had created a cut that ran from the bottom of his lip up his cheek to the corner of his eye.

As he studied the new scar he had made on his opponent, Mikhail landed a fist to the side of his head, throwing him off. He ran a finger over his fresh cut and said, "Do you see this, Dragunov? No human would be able to do this to another. Only things like us can do this without feeling remorse."

Sergei, still a little dizzy from that latest blow he received, got to his feet and pulled out his second gun as Mikhail while was doing the same. "Stop believing you can change," Mikhail said as he took aim at Sergei. "Stop this futile attempt at trying to live a normal life." Dragunov took an aim at Mikhail. "Stop deluding yourself." Simultaneously they fired their bullets.

Anna gasped as the bullet pierced through the side of her stomach. Had it not been for the uncomfortable position she had Nina in, she was sure the bullet would have been planted elsewhere. Nevertheless, she was beginning to lose blood, lots of it.

She watched as Nina got to her feet and walked over to hover over her. "You should've just walked away…Now it's too late." Nina aimed the gun at Anna's forehead, prepared to pull the trigger until the brunette, after having gathered all her strength, pushed herself up and bashed her sister's chin with her knee. The gun landing beside Anna's feet.

With a hand on her bullet wound, Anna weakly bent over to pick up the firearm just as Nina was recovering from the hit she received. She looked up at the brunette and quickly found their roles reversed as she was staring up at her own pistol.

"Nina…" Anna whispered. She looked her blonde sister in the eyes and saw a flicker of what she believed to be fear. As Nina was a trained assassin, Anna doubted it was because she was afraid of losing her life. "Let me help you, Sister," she continued, "Let me lead you to the only man you've ever trusted…" She took a few steps closer towards her. "I'll return you to Daddy, just as you would've wanted."

Although Anna was within reach and wounded, Nina couldn't find it in herself to defend herself. She could have grabbed her, snatched the gun from her, but she couldn't. She felt utterly hopeless and weak. "Let me grant you your wish." Those were the words she heard before a bullet escaped the gun.

Both Sergei and Mikhail took a dive to the side as soon as they both fired their weapons. However even with their haste, their bodies still received the bullets; Sergei's to his side and Mikhail's to his shoulder. Ignoring the pain that raced through his body, Dragunov continued firing at the other man, this time damaging his arms, thighs, and even grazing his neck. There were countless shots fired at his chest as well, but all seemed ineffective due to the armor he wore underneath.

"Bastard…" He heard Mikhail mutter as he watched him stumble. He looked down at the gun he had dropped during Sergei's onslaught of bullets and with a shaky hand began reaching for it. Yet before he could even place a finger on it, Sergei's boot fell upon it.

Looking up at the pale man, Mikhail couldn't hide his grin any longer. Straightening himself so that they were eye to eye, he whispered, "So this is it, eh Dragunov…?"

Sergei held his gun up against his chest, point blank, and fired, shattering the bulletproof shell and sending Mikhail backwards. He crashed into the wall behind him and began sliding down until he was down on the floor, shards of glass surrounding him, looking up at the White Angel of Death.

The Angel stood before him, silent as usual, and seemed to be waiting for Mikhail to choose his final words. With a gentle smile on his face, Barclay shut his dark eyes and whispered, "You always managed to stay human, Sergei. No matter how much you killed, no matter how much I broke you down, you were still able to cling to your humanity. How…?"

Sergei gave no reply as he tossed aside his current gun, which was now empty of ammunition, and pulled out the final weapon from his holster. Kliment's pistol.

Tiredly, Mikhail opened his eyes and looked up at him with empty, soulless eyes. From Sergei's point of view, he almost resembled a sad child. "What does it feel like to be alive, Sergei?"

At the question, Sergei froze as he contemplated the answer. _You feel guilt and remorse, helpless and lonely, always yearning for company…_The images of all the acquaintances he had made throughout his quest, from Markov to Lars, filled his mind. _But you find value and…friendship, someone worth fighting for. It's as painful as it is enjoyable._ He looked down at his hand and could almost feel the warmth of Anna's hand on it as he thought of her. _Yet despite the insecurities, I find myself smiling and looking forward to the future…_

He turned his attention back down to the tyrant and placed Kliment's pistol against his forehead. "Let me show you…" He whispered.

With a smile on his bloody face, Mikhail shut his eyes once again and muttered, "How fitting that I don't even get to die the way I want to…Instead, I die to a damn human…"

As Mikhail chuckled away quietly, Sergei interrupted him as he spoke the final words the SPETSNAZ leader would ever hear. "This is for Kliment…" With that said, he squeezed the trigger…

After firing the bullet, Anna dropped the gun and stared down at Nina's shocked face. She was still alive as a smoking bullet lay in the ground beside her. "As if I'd ever let you be happy," Anna said cruelly. "I'll let you wait out the rest of your life alone." With blood streaming from her side, the beautiful brunette began to walk past her sister. "I'm no longer going to be walking in your shadow."

Before Nina could register all that had happened, Anna was already gone, the only evidence that she ever stood before her being the drop of blood that had dripped onto her leg. She doubted that she would ever see her again. Anna, the only person left from her previous life, was gone.

Stumbling through the rain-soaked deserted city, Anna eventually found herself falling to the floor, all of her stamina depleted with each pint of blood that poured from her. _Not here, _she told herself. _Not by myself…_

Suddenly a red figure entered her line of view at the same time a cry was received by her ears. "Anna!" The voice was familiar, but for the time being Anna was too exhausted to try to remember who it belonged to. The figure, although blurry in her eyes, came running towards her and before she knew it, Anna found herself being supported by the raven-haired female soldier. "Anna, are you alright?"

She didn't respond as she began to shut her eyes. All she wanted was to sleep. Just as her mind was about to drift off, the image of her favorite Russian soldier formed in her mind. "I'll be waiting…" she mumbled before her world went blank.

Weeks passed after the death of Mikhail Barclay and all of Russia had begun to calm down as the truth of SPETSNAZ was finally revealed. The truth had been unsettling, bizarre even, but surprisingly, the people were willing to put their faith back in their hands so long as they did one thing.

As Sergei was sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed, his room filled with get-well gifts galore, a sudden rampage was heard down the hall accompanied by some shouts and cries from nearby doctors and nurses. The riot eventually reached Sergei's door causing the soldier to open his steel-blue eyes and let out a sigh.

Annessa, who had been at his bedside, saw he had awoken and smiled. "Good morning there, Sergei. I hope you had a nice sleep." Before she could get an answer, the door swung open and a hoard of news reporters, soldiers, and doctors alike stumbled in, all of them yelling something or another. "Oh my," Annessa let out.

A blonde reporter, who was at the moment, crushed beneath a doctor and a cameraman, extended out her microphone and asked, "So Mr. Dragunov, have you put some thought into what your decision will be?"

Pulling the thin covers over his head, Sergei turned his back to the pile of people and shut his eyes. He was too exhausted to deal with this so early in the morning. He had gone through countless surgeries throughout the weeks, some were to remove bone chips, others to reconnect tendons and ligaments, and there were some to fix nerve damage. For the moment all Sergei felt like was jelly.

Seeing as how Sergei didn't want to answer yet, the journalist, being a professional as she was, wormed her way out of the mass of people and looked into one of the cameras, "It seems as if Mr. Dragunov is still contemplating his answer. That comes as no surprise however…"

"…_for taking over SPETSNAZ is no easy endeavor. After all we've been through, it's going to be a long road to recovery and trust, but the people have decided that Sergei Dragunov may be able to speed that process up." _Before the blonde reporter could say more, a doctor shoved her out of the way and soon the camera was turned upside down as voices began to mingle once again. Lars, seeing as how that was going to be the end of the news report, reached for the remote and flipped the television off, a gentle smile on his face.

"So you did it, Sergei…I hope Anna could see you now, wherever she is…" 

Upon hearing of the deed Sergei Dragunov had performed, the people were willing to accept SPETSNAZ as their protectors if, and only if, Commander Dragunov took over as leader. They would trust no one but. Yet between the lines, Sergei knew that in asking him to be their protector, they were also asking him for their forgiveness. They wanted to apologize for allowing his name to be slandered, for turning their backs on him as they believed he had done to them. They wanted to show him that he had their faith and always will.

Once everyone was shoveled out of Sergei's room, and the doctor bolted the lock, silence once again regained its spot in the room allowing Sergei to remove his head from his covers. Annessa, seeing how childish he was behaving, couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped her lips. Not seeing the humor in having his privacy invaded while he was recovering, Sergei kept the frown on his face as he stared at her.

"I'm sorry Sergei," she said, "I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just glad to see that you're doing better is all." As she watched Sergei shift himself into a sitting position, her face took on a look of seriousness as she asked, "So have you decided, Sergei?"

Staring down at his pale hands, Sergei had to admit, he didn't know the answer. His hands had taken so much lives, was he truly fit to help these people? It was true that when he had first met Lars, this is what he had wanted. It was the only way for him to make up for his sins. Yet now, when the opportunity was practically knocking on the doorstep, Sergei wasn't sure.

Suddenly he felt Annessa's hands lay themselves on his own and he was soon looking into her eyes. "I don't want to make the decision for you," he heard her say, "But I will tell you that these people need you. I know of your past crimes, we all do, but for those of us who are living now and…will be in the future…Those things don't matter."

"I can't pretend they never happened," Sergei replied.

"But don't let it condemn you." The grip she had on his hands tightened. "You've proven that a person can change. Don't let your past sins determine who you truly are."

After about a month of recovery, Sergei exited the hospital. Now, donned in the brown uniform of a SPETSNAZ official, he entered the building of his workplace, passing countless soldiers who saluted him along the way, and headed to the elevator. Boarding it to the uppermost floor, he exited and headed down the hall where he eventually found himself standing before two big wooden doors. He grabbed ahold of one of the golden doorknobs and opened it up before finally stepping into his new office. It had been renovated after its last…scuffle but now its appearance rightfully suited its occupant. After setting down his suitcase, Sergei took his seat at the mahogany desk and lifted his pen. It was time to begin his first day as SPETSNAZ Leader.

**Author's Notes: And there you have it, the conclusion to Call of the Bluebird…Just kidding! You can't expect Machlassie to end her story with no romance! Oh no, there's much more left to be written. Although, I guess if you think about it in the literal sense, this can be the actual ending and the next chapter is the Epilogue…Whatever way you want to put it, thank you for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Sergei had been hot on the trail of Grigori Kachanov for a week now and after following the leads he received from his crew, he eventually found himself participating in a tournament taking place across town. It was the belief that Grigori would be a participant as well which led Sergei to his current plan of action, but now looking over the list of contestants, he wasn't all too sure. Placing his chin in between his fingers as he thought, the tournament mediator approached him and awoke him from his thoughts. "Mr. Dragunov, sir," he spoke, "your match is next."

So concerned of finding the name of the infamous crime lord, Sergei didn't look over the name of his next opponent nor did he care. All of these contestants were mere amateurs hoping to stake a name for themselves or claim the money reward. None of them were elite enough to take him down or give him a challenge.

He followed the mediator down the halls until the lights of the stadium were seen. The mediator looked over his shoulder at him and passed him a smile. "Good luck, sir," he said before running out into the stadium to introduce the next contestants.

As the young man was doing so, Sergei took the time to study the dome which housed these tournaments. The huge crowd holding up to thirteen-thousand audience members circled the stage from the floor up and following his gaze upward, Sergei saw that near the roof of the dome were windows where the VIP seats were located. He narrowed his eyes. So that's where his target was…

"And exiting from the red side we have Sergei Dragunov!" Upon hearing his name, Sergei stepped out into the stage and at the sight of him, the crowd went wild. While men cheered, women swooned. Sergei however ignored all of it as he kept his gaze upward at the special seats. Before Grigori could be allowed to make his escape, Sergei had to finish this match up fast.

Grigori who was indeed watching from the skybox narrowed his eyes at the soldier below and grunted. "Why's he looking at me like that," he said to a nearby man. "Freak."

Too busy concentrating on the crime lord who was watching him from above, Sergei didn't notice his opponent entering the stadium until the crowd fell silent and all could be heard were heels upon the marble ring. "Sergei…" his opponent said in a sexy smooth tone. At the sound of their voice, Sergei froze. He knew that voice.

Quickly shifting his gaze from the skybox to his opponent, Sergei's eyes widened at the sight before him. It was the one and only love of his life, Anna Williams. She was dressed in a dark blue latex suit which had sparkly silver ribbons running down vertically around her entire body. The suit ended just where her legs began, giving everyone a full view of those beautiful limbs she possessed, and to top it off, she wore silver heels equally as sparkly as the ribbons that adorned her body. Letting his eyes travel to her face, he saw that her chestnut brown hair was messily pinned up while her face was exactly as how he remembered it from a year ago. It was no wonder the audience had quieted upon seeing her…She was gorgeous.

Feigning shyness, Anna averted her gaze from him and said, "Oh Mr. Dragunov…Please don't look at me like that…"

The crowd watched on in silence as their hero, Sergei Dragunov, began making his way towards his opponent until not even a foot stood between them. He looked her over once more as if assuring himself that the beauty before him truly was the Anna Williams he knew from all those months ago.

Bothered by all his staring, Anna pressed herself up against the man and asked sensually, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to do something?" Before the spectators could even predict what was going to happen next, the White Angel of Death snatched his ladylove's lips with his own resulting in an eruption of gasps, cheers, and hoots by the audience.

Surprised by his boldness, Anna almost stumbled back from the force of his kiss if not for the strong arms that wound their way around her body to support her. Gradually she wrapped her own arms around his neck as the soldier continued to crush her lips with his searing hot, passionate kiss. It had been too long since they had last tasted each other and neither knew, until this moment, how overwhelming the need to see one another was.

Ignoring the many eyes watching them, Sergei continued crushing her lightly painted lips until the need for air became too dire. When he separated from her, he gazed into her ice blue pools and ran a finger underneath her jaw. "I'm looking forward to all the gifts you have waiting for me…" He heard her say sensually right before she snuggled her way into his chest.

Planting a light kiss on her forehead, Sergei gave a small smile. "Thank you…For coming back to me…" For the past year, he had been so overwhelmed with tying up loose ends in his country he never once had the opportunity to seek her out. However, that never meant he never thought of her. It was quite the contrary. Since he began his reign over SPETSNAZ, not a day went by in which he didn't think of her. There were days when he wished she would show up on his front doorstep or even better, she would be beside him when he woke up.

"The pleasure's all mine," she replied. "After all, I can't go on living by myself…"

As they continued to embrace in the middle of the ring, the men in the skybox looked back and forth between one another, confused. They had come here to watch a fight not a romantic interaction between a stunningly gorgeous woman and a soldier. One of the men, while twirling his wine in his glass, gave the couple below a gentle smile before pulling out a wad of cash. "My bet is on the male," he replied calmly as he gently placed down his wager.

All the others turned to look at him as he sipped his wine, curious as to whether he was serious about this or not. However, looking at the cash on the table, they tossed aside any doubts and began making wagers of their own. Money was money to a crime lord.

Looking back up at Sergei, Anna pulled herself away from him and whispered, "Y'know…All these people, _your _people, came to watch a fight. You can't disappoint them, can you?" Before Sergei could grasp what she was hinting at, he found her attempting to land a hard kick into his abdomen which he effortlessly caught.

Running his eyes over the long limb in his hand up to Anna's lovely face, he smirked. So she wanted to play rough, was that it? Yanking the leg so that it was now wrapped around his waist and she was up against him, Sergei shook his head at the brunette. There was a rule that had come about since he took over as SPETSNAZ leader: Don't push Dragunov's buttons.

After about twenty minutes, the match had ended and the crowd, usually rowdy and rambunctious, was silent as they were contemplating whether or not what they just saw was a fight. There were two people involved of course and they were fighting for dominance though not in the "traditional" method. There were a lot of takedowns followed by some straddling, a lip lock, and a whole lot of slapping. In fact, it was a slap to the rear that ended the match as it had sent the loser stumbling out of the ring.

Nonetheless, despite how unorthodox the match was, there was a victor and the tournament was going to continue. As of now, spectators, legal and illegal alike, watched as the winner, Sergei Dragunov, carry his opponent into the back, all of them wondering what they were intending to do together. They didn't have to think too hard.

Once alone in the back, Sergei placed the young lady on her feet and stared down at her, his heartbeat quickening. He had never been so intimate with her in public before but now with all their teasing put aside, Sergei wanted nothing more than to share his affection with her in the way he knew she loved best. He grabbed her hand, prepared to lead her back to his assigned locker room, but found that she was resisting.

"Not yet," she sang teasingly. She pecked him on the lips with a wet kiss and continued speaking. "Give me fifteen minutes."

Walking back to his locker room alone, Sergei still couldn't let his mind wrap around the idea that Anna had come back to him, that the dreams he had could finally become reality. It seemed all too good. She had said that she didn't want to be alone and now that he thought about the empty mansion he returned to every night, neither did he. And perhaps, just like him, Anna couldn't think of a better person to come home to. As these thoughts swarmed his mind, Sergei couldn't help but smile.

Back in her own room, Anna was digging through her belongings, excitement coursing through her veins. She had been anticipating this moment since they had said their farewell and it seemed her impatience was getting the better of her as she was now throwing all of her sundries, clothing, and jewelry all about the room in search of the one outfit she wanted.

After tossing a bottle of shampoo over her shoulder, she heard the gentle vibration of a phone. Turning around to where the pulsating came from, Anna spotted the cell phone and looked over the name of her caller. Realizing who it was, she gave a pout and hesitantly answered it. "Do you need something?"

A gentle chuckle was heard on the other end causing Anna to sigh. "You seem to be in a hurry, Anna," the male voice replied. "Is it safe to assume that you've found him?"

"I have," she answered kindly, "Thank you, Lars."

There was a pause on the other end before Lars gave his reply. "It's not a problem. I'm glad to hear we were able to be of help." Without either having anything else to say, the Swede concluded with a farewell. "Tell Sergei that we're proud of him, won't you Anna?"

With a smile on her pink lips she nodded. "Of course. And you take care of yourself. I don't plan to deliver any message from a dead man to anyone."

"Goodbye. Until we meet again."

Anna shut her phone off, feeling a pang of sadness as she did so. Yggdrasil had treated her so kindly while she was with them, but after she had defeated Nina, she left. However, upon realizing that she had no way to find Sergei again, or even get back to Russia for that matter, she came back and they welcomed her with open arms.

Now that she had found Sergei, she doubted she would ever see them again. They had their own lives to fulfill and she had nothing to do with it. Yet when she walked off on them for this final time, she felt as if she was saying goodbye to her family. The thought brought out two complete opposite emotions from her, making her wonder if the tear that ran down her cheek was one of joy or sadness.

Once Sergei finished rinsing off his body in the shower, he stood before the mirror, staring at his reflection. Looking back at him was still the same scarred man from years past. He still held the same sins and lives under his belt, but the emotions that his past self had once hidden were present as well. And it was those emotions that brought him from there to here; from being the renowned White Angel of Death to the hero of Russia. It had been a rough start, but he had managed to overcome and conquer the battle within himself.

Looking back at his two-year journey, Sergei found he was proud of the outcome of his battles, scars, and all. And especially—

"Sergei," a sexy voice purred, "Don't keep me waiting…"

Forgetting about the passage of time, Sergei quickly exited the bathroom, a towel around his waist, and was immediately greeted by a bikini clad Anna Williams posed seductively on his bed. He froze where he stood, wondering how a woman can go from stunning to drop dead gorgeous with a simple change of clothes.

His eyes skimmed over the white one-piece swimwear, down those long legs of hers, to the silver heels on her feet. Quickly discarding himself of the towel, he approached the brunette and pinned her beneath him. His animalistic urge taking over, he treated her to a rough, passionate kiss that stole the breath from her.

"Sergei…" she moaned between their kiss. His name on her tongue sent shivers down his spine as he prepared to remove the attire from her body. However, before he could do so, she gently pushed him back by his chest and waggled a finger. "Before we go any further," she said, her breath ragged, "You made a promise to me the last time we saw each other…"

Sitting up, Sergei looked down at her, wondering if this could wait until after they were done. However, at spotting the hand on his chest, the barrier that held him back from ravishing her, he decided it would be quicker if he do what she wanted and thus waited for her to speak.

"You promised that you would tell me three words…"

Recalling that he did indeed make that pledge, he gave a smirk and, grabbing the hand she had on his torso, he leaned down until his lips were beside her ear. Once in that position, he gave her what she wanted as his breath warmed her ear with his three words of "I love you…"

As said before, Sergei Dragunov was proud of his battles, scars, and all. But especially, he was glad he listened to the Call of the Bluebird…

**The End**

**Author's Notes: And there you have it. I send a big "Thank You!" to all those who stood by me through this entire journey. I don't think I would've been able to finish if you guys never reviewed. Though I'm proud of this story, I think I'm going to be sticking to oneshots from now on…**


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